Edventure: Trouble In Termina
by legendofzeldarocks
Summary: Double D pursues a mysterious thief and ends up meeting a strange boy named Link. Then suddenly, he falls into another world destined to a horrible fate in 3 days. Can he save this world and make it hime in time? EEnE and ZeldaMM crossover. R&R Please
1. Chapter 1: Thieves from another World

**Author's Notes:**_ Just a project inspired when I got bored. While I have gotten a bad case of writer's block for my Edventure II fanfic, ideas for this one are fresh in my mind, and how could I let inspiration go to waste? So then, what to say about this one? Well, another crossover, but this time, I have mixed Ed, Edd'n Eddy with Zelda: Majora's Mask. My first chapter may be a bit boring, but I do hope you enjoy. _

Edventure: Trouble In Termina

Chapter 1: Thieves from another World

Disclaimer: I don't own Ed, Edd'n Eddy or Zelda: Majora's Mask

…tick, tock, tick, tock…

The clock was the only sound in the otherwise very monotonous classroom. Everyone in class awaited silently. Double D sat down in his own desk, with his desk buried deep within a book. Ed, of course, sitting right behind him, was just living life in his own little world, facedown on an upside-down and drool ridden text book. Eddy, as usual, made his little tower of textbooks in the front of the desk to make sure the teacher didn't catch him catching some "Z"s. The Kankers all sat in a bored fashion, not reading, but simply lounging. Rolf and Kevin sat in the far corner, talking in a whisper amongst themselves.

_"Let's see now…" _Double D thought. _"…the equation for time…E 9.87sin(2B) - 7.53cos(B) - 1.5sin(B)-"_

"Now class, reading time is over." the teacher in the front of the classroom stated. Everyone looked up… well, almost everyone at least.

The teacher began to walk down the rows. "…sorry, I know how much you like to read, _EDDY!" _the teacher shouted, before taking his pointing stick and whipping it at Eddy's desk. The startled ed jumped and shouted "I'm up, mommy, I'm up!"

The class burst out into laughter as the smallest of the Eds suddenly realized where he was.

"Nice one, Eddy!" Kevin exclaimed, laughing.

Eddy growled with a blush on his face. The teacher walked back to the front of the room as the class slowly quieted down. Eventually, they all came to a silence, and for a brief amount of time, there was nothing but silence aside from the ticking of the clock on the wall.

The teacher looked around before continuing. "Yes, next week's topic will be time. We will be learning all about the amazing fields of time. So everyone, for homework, you will have a page essay on the mysteries of time."

The class all gave an exasperated groan.

"Oh, it not math or anything!" the teacher said. "My, if you kids actually went on and did something for once, you would all be getting the grades you get… well, aside from Eddward here."

Double D gave a smile, as the others all looked away in partial disgust. "Thank you, teacher."

"You are quite welcome, my star student." the teacher replied. "So then, all of you, you must write a single page. On this page, you will tell me what you think of time. How you think it can be used properly, and how you feel about it."

The school bell suddenly gave a ring. The class cheered and began to walk out the door.

"Goodbye everyone!' the teacher said. "And I hope you all have a good three-day weekend!"

* * *

"WHOO!" Eddy shouted. He, Ed, and Double D were all walking from the school and back toward the cul-de-sac. "Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, all off!" 

"Yeah, a big fun weekend, like a vacation, just like old times, eh chums?" Ed asked, trying to hug them all. Both Eddy and Double D dodged. "On no, big guy, you ain't gonna break my ribs, not before vacation. Save it for when I need an excuse from class."

"Hug for Double D?" Ed asked. Double D gave a small gasp. "…why, thank you for the offer, but I am… well, not ready, and I need to get my gloves first." Ed shrugged.

_"Whew…" _Eddy and Double D thought at the same time.

"So, fellows…" Double D said as they walked. "How about that essay we have to write? The one about time? How do you two feel about it?"

"Meh, big deal. It's time." Eddy said.

"Did you know that some scientists even think there is a way to use the equation of time to manipulate it? What babble, eh fellows?" Double D asked.

"Oh, like in that movie: I WAS A TIME-DUDE?" Ed asked.

"No Ed, it's impossible to travel in time." Double D said. "I feel of time as a history book of things that have happened and things that will happen. Isn't that exciting?"

"…let me think…" Eddy said. They all stood there for a bit. After what seemed like a minute or so: "No." Double D frowned as Ed simply gave a laugh, of course not understanding what was going on.

"What I do know is that we got about a zillion scams to run this weekend!" Eddy shouted. He grabbed both of the Eds and twisted their heads to face the cul-de-sac. "See that? We'll be making a fortune off this place if it takes all three days!"

Double D broke free of Eddy's grip. His head was already aching. He knew that more of this annoyance was bound to come his way, so he threw caution to the wind: "…and how do you plan to do that?"

"Ah, I was hoping you'd ask!" Eddy shouted. "Come on over to my garage, boys, because I got the scam of a lifetime!"

* * *

"…um… what is that?" Double D asked. 

Eddy brought them to his garage. There was a set of masks lying on the floor. All made of simplistic art supplies, and various in shapes, sized, and colors.

"…Are these from the art room? Last I saw them, they were on display." Double D said, stroking his chin. "Though if memory serves they were reported stolen from the room…" his voice began to grow suspicious. "…last week."

"Aw, it was just a prank." Eddy said.

"And now you want to sell stolen property?" Double D asked.

"Aw, they wont miss them, they are just stupid masks." Eddy said.

"Oh, oh! Look at this!" Ed shouted. He reached for one of the masks on the floor. "Oh, is this my monster mask?" Ed asked. He was referring to one of the masks Double D had made a while ago for a costume that made Ed believe he was a monster.

"Ed, please don't wear that thing again." Double D said. "The last time you did, you really-"

"Oh, please?" Ed asked. "Come on!"

"Quit it, both of you. We all got masks to sell and none of you are helping!" Eddy shouted. "Double D, go home and get some stuff for a stall. Ed, go and get all the comic books you've got! Meet me back here and we'll set up!" Eddy said. He took all of the masks and placed them into a sac. He gave a swerve and hoisted them all onto his back. "

Ed ran off laughing in the direction of his home.

"Double D, that means you too, now get goin' already!" Eddy shouted.

"…oh, fine, anywhere to see where this little Edventure goes." Double D sighed. He began to walk out of the garage and toward the street.

He was a few feet away from Eddy's house when he suddenly heard a quick moving sound. Though hard to describe, it was like the sound of something rushing through the air, and added to it, the sound of an echoing vibraphone. Double D gasped and swerved to his right, that's where a light post was. In his haste, he could have sword to have caught sight of what appeared to be a stream of white light, and another of light purple. They both flew behind the light post and vanished.

Double D shook his head. "…what in Sam Hill was that?" he asked. Double D tilted his head, with the gravity tugging at his sock hat. …my word, I hope I am not seeing things."

* * *

By afternoon, Eddy had the stall set up at his house. It was nothing short of the usual little ramshackle stall with a mis-spelt sign "Mascs." Eddy had set all the masks on the table, about ten or so. Ed had his face in a comic book while Double D stood there, trying his best not to show how embarrassed he was. 

The other neighborhood kids all showed up to the spot.

"So, this is what you were talking about?" Sarah asked. "Not a big deal."

"It's art, what fun!" Jimmy said.

"They are cute…" Nazz said. "…but don't these masks look a little familiar.

Eddy gasped and looked toward Double D, who only replied with an "I-told-you-so" expression. Eddy looked back, sweating a little.

"They remind Rolf of Rolf's old country!" Rolf shouted.

"So, how 'bout it?" Eddy asked. "All here for just a quarter."

"Not interested." Kevin said.

"Oh, wait!" Eddy shouted, hold up his hand. "…uh, Ed!" Eddy shouted. "Why don't you tell them about the masks?"

Ed looked at Eddy. Eddy quickly pointed at a page of Ed's comic books.

"Oh yeah!" Ed said. Double D sighed and looked away.

"In the void of space, Zorba the two headed space mutant…" Ed started.

Double D looked into the sky, as the sun was already setting. _"…time goes by so fast."_

"…what?" Kevin asked.

"So, how about it?" Eddy asked, holding up the monster mask. "The Zorba Mask for a measly quarter?" he held out an empty jar. Kevin sighed.

_"Well, this is going nowhere fast." _Double D thought.

Suddenly, there was the sound of a whoosh! Double D awoke from his trance. Everyone looked around for the source.

"…what was that?" Jimmy asked.

WOOSH!

"It's the curse of Evil Tim!" Ed shouted.

"Ed, give it a rest!" Eddy shouted, also trying to find the source.

WOOSH!

This time, it had made itself visible. Two streaks of light, one white and purple were zooming to and from around them.

_"It's that thing that I saw before." _Double D thought.

With a sudden bang, the two of them rushed through the crowd of kids. They hit Jonny first. He gave a yelp of surprise, falling to the ground and releasing his wooden friend. Both of them hit the pavement at once. Everyone looked over at him. He was clutching his stomach, giving a moan.

But before anyone could say anything, there was another bang. Nazz gave a shriek and slowly fell down as well. Kevin immediately rushed to her side. "Nazz! Are you ok?"

Eddy now looked serious. "What the heck is goin' on here Double D?"

Double D looked near a state of panic. "I honestly don't know!"

With another bang fell another kid. This one was Sarah. She gave a loud yell before fall to the floor in agony. Jimmy and Ed both rushed to her side. "SARAH!"

This time, the purple and white streaks struck both Ed and Jimmy. They screamed and fell on the ground.

"Show thyselves, you impudent evil!" Rolf shouted. Though upon those words, he was quickly struck. He spiraled in the air and hit the ground.

Kevin gasped. "I got to go and get help!" He jumped on his bike, only to sudden get struck. He fell from the bike and hit the pavement almost instantly.

"Double D, do something!" Eddy shouted, grabbing a hold of Double D's shirt. Though without warning, Eddy suddenly got struck. He gave a loud panicked scream, flying through the air, taking Double D down with him. Eddy immediately fell unconscious, though it seemed Double D was still awake. Though for the risk of getting hurt, he pretended to have been knocked out.

_"What is going on?" _Double d asked, still shaking in nervousness.

The two streaks suddenly came to a halt. Double D caught a look at them. They were both glowing balls, one was white, the other purple. Each of the floating balls, no larger then tennis balls, had four fairy-esque wings, and were flying over the fallen kids.

Double D gasped. _"I must be seeing things!" _he thought. _"…what on earth are those…?"_

Suddenly, there was the sound of something walking toward them. Double D opened one of his eyes a bit further to see what it was. Suddenly, at the front of the stall, a floating mask appeared. Double D wanted to scream in terror. Not only was the sudden appearance scary enough, but the mask was a horrendous looking thing. It was in the shape of a purple heart, with spikes coming out of the sides, and two huge, orange eyes. It was like seeing a monster. There was just something about those horrendous, piercing eyes that made him want to scream out in terror.

Then, something formed around the mask. A body. It looked like a scarecrow, made of straw and wood, with raggy old red cloths and a red hat.

"…Oh boy, you two fairies did great!" the masked scarecrow one said.

The two floating winged orbs both giggled, _giggled_ of all things! "Thanks, skull kid!" the white one seemed to say in a female voice.

_"Skull Kid? Fairies?" _Double D thought.

The one apparently known as the Skull Kid walked toward the counter and looked at the masks.

"Let's see if these little kids had anything good on them." the Skull Kid said. He led the two fairies toward the countertop, and picked up a few of the masks.

"…oh, these are cool!" the purple fairy said.

"What do you care, Tael?" the white one said. "There's no way that big thing will fit on your face."

"Knock it off, sis." the purple fairy that replied to "Tael" said. "Why do you always have to wreck my fun?"

"Just being realistic." Tael's sister said.

"Tatl, please." Tael said.

The white fairy that was named Tatl sighed. "I swear, I'll never figure you out."

Double D watched as these fairies continued to talk and the Skull Kid searched the rest of the masks.

_"…whatever they are, they seem to have dropped their guard." _Double D thought. _"…if I can sneak past them, I could try to attack from behind. Oh, but these three knocked out everyone else. What kinds of other things could they be capable of?"_

Nonetheless, Double D slowly began to crawl on the ground, as disgusting as it was for him to do so. _ "Messy, messy, messy..."_

The Skull kid picked up the masks and placed them in Eddy's sac. Then, moving on to the kids, he began to reach and take things of their person: "Sarah's Earrings, A barrette from Nazz, a shovel from Rolf, a key from Jimmy, Jonny's wooden friend "Plank", and a coin from Kevin.

"…this should do for the spoils." The Skull kid said.

"Ahem…"

The skull kid and the fairies turned around and spotted Double standing right there, with his arms folded, tapping his foot.

"Ah!" the Skull Kid shouted in surprise.

"…care to tell me why whatever you three are stealing from my friends?"

The three of them remained silent, merely starring at Double D. Double D decided he would rather not wait for this Skull Kid to act, Double D suddenly gave a yell and lunged at the Skull kid.

To his amazement and shock, the skull kid jumped very high and very fast. Double D fell on the ground, missing altogether. He turned around and spotted the masked scarecrow with the two little glowing balls in tow.

Double D gasped. He knew he could not let them get away, not now. He ran toward Kevin and grabbed his bike, but as he did, Kevin grabbed his foot.

"…no… way… dork… You… can't… ride my bike." he said.

"Sorry, Kevin, I must! I'll return it soon! I'll call someone to come and bring help!" Double D shouted. He jumped on Kevin's bike and pedaled off after the three thieves.

"Come… back." Kevin moaned, but fell back down.

Double D sighed. "I'm sorry!"

He then looked ahead and spotted the three of them rushing into the woods.

Double D kicked harder on the pedal, making it jump the curb and race into the woods. Thanks to the bike's outstanding wheels, he was able to through the rough terrain with ease.

_"It's no wonder Kevin likes this bike so much." _Double D thought.

He could no longer see the thieves, but kept on going.

_"How did they escape so fast? Who are they… what are they? Where are they from? I have never seem creature like those in my life. Would be so amazed if I wasn't so ticked!"_

Double D continued to race deeper and deeper into the woods, determined to find them…

* * *

Night had fallen now, casting the woods in darkness. Double D had not only lost the thieves, he had gotten lost himself. 

"Great." he said, but continued to pedal. His school backpack, which he never bothers to remove, shook with every bump he made as he continued to speed down the pathways. As he turned another corner, he spotted some fog up ahead.

_"…what is that? Fog?" _Double D thought. _"Strange, very strange. I have never seen such a strange formation of clouds before… but since the thieves were strange, and this cloud is strange, then maybe if I go in, I'll find the thieves!"_

Double D pedaled at full speed into the cloud. As he raced through, he felt a sudden rush. It were as though he was suddenly flying, in a way. The bike sounded like the wheels where whizzing through air. Double D felt a sudden gush of wind against him as well. He let one hand go of the bike handles to grasp onto his hat. As he did, he had to close his eyes to protect them against the force of the wind.

_"What is going on?" _Double D thought, beginning to panic. _"…did I hit a jump?"_

His questions were answered as he could suddenly hear the sound of the tires of the bike hit the ground. He opened his eyes and saw himself emerging from the cloud, and into an unfamiliar part of the woods. Double D was still holding onto his hat, as he looked too and fro.

_"Where am I? I have never seen these woods before!"_

In his distraction, the Sockhead failed to look where he was going. He suddenly struck something, causing himself to crash. He separated from the bike, which flew and skid on the grassy ground. Double D struck the ground and sighed.

He looked back to see what it was he had hit and gave a gasp.

There, lying down on the ground was a boy, no older then he was. This was a boy dressed in green. He had a green tunic and brown boots, and a strange green hat that in a way resembled Double D's sock hat. He also had an old-style shield with strange designs and a small sword. This boy's blonde hair that was exposed from the outer rims of his hat was a mess. It seemed he was recently hit.

"Oh my word, I am so sorry!" Double D shouted, rushing to held the boy. Though as he got a closer look, Double D gasped. This boy had very strange eyes, pointed ears resembling that of an elf's.

"…uh… yeah, I'm fine." the boy said, slowly getting up. He shook his head.

Double D watched as the boy suddenly took off running deeper into the woods.

"Wait!" Double D shouted. "You're injured, you need to stay off your feet!"

"Sorry, there is no time!" the green-garbed boy shouted. "A skull kid and two fairies just stole my horse and ocarina! I have to go and stop them!"

"WAIT!" Double D shouted.

The boy stopped and turned around. "What is it?"

"Was it a guy with an evil looking mask?" Double D asked.

"Yeah." the boy replied. "Have you seen him?"

"I am in here chasing the rapscallion!" Double D shouted. "He attack and stole from my friends!"

"He gets around, doesn't he?" the boy said.

Double D reached for Kevin's bike and jumped back on. "Come on, I'll give you a ride."

"…um, what is that?" the boy asked with a confused look.

Double D cocked an eyebrow. "Why, this is a bicycle. Surely, you know of a bike?"

The boy looked blank for a moment. "…I'm sorry, no."

Double D gasped.

"And where did you get those strange cloths?" the boy asked. "…and your ears, they are so round, not pointed at all. Where are you from?"

Double D was astonished. "…uh, peach Creek."

"Where is that?" the boy asked curiously.

"Uh, USA? …Earth?" Double D asked, almost sarcastically.

"…USA?" the boy asked. "And what is this Earth?"

Double D gasped. "…my word… you have either a serious case of amnesia, or you are not of this planet."

"Or you are not." the boy said.

Double D shook his head. "Impossible, I am still in the woods. Yes, still in the woods just a few blocks from my house, I must be-"

"You are in the Lost Woods." the boy said. "There's no village for miles."

Double D's mouth was wide open. "Now look-"

"Excuse me, we're letting the thief get away!" the boy shouted.

Double D gasped. "Right! Come on!"

The boy jumped on Kevin's bike. Double D turned the pedals and sped off, toward a nearby tunnel.

The boy looked curiously at the strange machine. "…so this is a bike? Very weird."

"You are not to common yourself." Double D said, panting as he pedaled.

"Actually, my name is Link. I come from Kokori Forest." the boy said.

"Double D of Peach Creek." Double D quickly introduced himself.

"Ok, Double D." Link said. "Let's keep going."

Double D pedaled through the tunnel with great haste. At the end of it was another area surrounded by trees, with a huge tree on the opposing side with a hole leading inside of it.

"There, try there!" Link shouted.

Double D nodded and rushed toward a jump. The bike kicked off a jump and launched through the air. Both of them screamed they flew through the air right into the tunnel in the tree. At first, they were riding in darkness. Suddenly, Link cried: "LOOK OUT!"

Double D realized why. Up ahead was a ledge, which led to a bottomless pit as far as they could tell. He screamed and slammed the braked as hard as he could. The tires screeched and smoke appeared behind the bike, but to no avail. The wheels jumped from the ledge. The next thing either of them knew, both Double D and Link were falling into the dark void below…

* * *

**Author's Notes:** _And don't worry, it's not going to be an all "Double D" fanfic either. The other Peach Creek kids will play a role, especially Eddy and Ed, of course! More on the way, but in the meantime, please review!_


	2. Chapter 2: Majora’s Curse

**Author's Notes: **_Another new one, made out of a boring day. I didn't expect to update this fast, but eh… well then, I hope this satisfies you._

Chapter 2: Majora's Curse

Both of them were falling for what seemed like eternity. Strange and usual flashes passed them by as they flew.

"What is all of this?" Double D shouted at Link. The Kokori boy looked back. "I don't know!"

Suddenly, they found the end of the fall. Double D screamed as his body fell into a body of water. Link, however, hit an unusual flower on his own fall. It was relatively large, with pink pedals and a hole in the middle that resembled a burrow. The bike hit the flower as well, bounced off, and landed upright, with the pedals still turning and coming to a slow stop.

Double D shot his head out of the water gave a loud long gasp. He threw his head back, making his sock hat fling backward.

"Oh, I'm so wet!" Double D exclaimed. "Uh, who knows were this water has been?"

The smart one slowly crawled out of the body of water, walking toward Link. "…Link, what just happened, were are we?" Double D asked.

"…I'd tell you if I knew." Link said back. "I have never seen this place before."

However, both of the boys were suddenly blinded by a bright light turning on. Both shielded their eyes and gave grimaces.

"Oh, what in heaven's name is that?" Double D asked. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he could see a figure floating under the night. It was the skull kid, lying down in the middle of the air, with the bag of everyone's stolen good on his back. Double D gasped. "What in the world? How can you fly?"

The Skull kid laughed and adjusted his creepy-looking mask. "…oh, I swear. What a pain that horse of yours was." the skull kid said, pointing at Link. "Don't worry, though, I did you a favor and got rid of that thing."

Link's fists clenched. He looked just about ready to attack the skull kid. Double D, however, slowly began to back away.

"Aw, what's with the look, kid?" the Skull kid asked. "That thing was useless. I did you a favor."

Link slowly reached down to his sheathe. It seemed he was drawing his sword. Double D's eyes widened. _"…is there going to be a fight?"_

"…and you." the Skull Kid said, pointing over toward Double D. The Sockhead jumped and took another step back. "…um, yes?"

"That's more like it. See?" the skull kid said. "Why can't you be more like him, green-boy?"

Double D sighed. "Um… my name is Edward… Double D for short… and, well…"

The Skull kid looked intent on what Double D had so say. He floated a couple feet closer. "Yes, boy?"

"I do believe you have my friends supplies." Double D said. "…and to be honest, well… could you please… return them?"

The skull kid sighed. "…and where would the fun be in that?"

"Um, Skull kid, is it?" Double D asked. "I'm sure we can make a compromise."

"Geez, what a bore you two are." the skull kid said. "…well, I'll have to change that, won't I?"

Double D was now shivering. "…uh…. What… are you going to do?"

"Good thing that you should ask." the skull kid said playfully. "…now watch."

The skull kid began to shake his head. The mask started to shoot of sparks. Rays of energy began to appear from the mask itself as it shook. Double D gave a shout and ran behind Link, who remained there with a determined face. The two fairies, which had been watching the whole time, hid from behind a torch.

It suddenly began right about then. Double D felt a small uncomfortable pain all over himself. He began to strain and lose his balance. It seemed that Link was also acting the same way. Both of them wanted to scream, though for some reason could not. They closed their eyes in pain, and when they opened them, they were suddenly surrounded by darkness.

There were strange sounds nearby, like straw being scratched against itself.

"What was that?" Double D asked. The sound echoed again, causing Double D to place his hands over his mouth in fear.

"Try to stay calm." Link said, trying to comfort him.

Suddenly, right before them appeared a whole series of new monsters. All looked like their bodies were made of wood. Their eyes were glowing orange on their small heads. They all head leaves and grass for hair, and they were no taller then three feet each. Instead of noses or mouths, these creatures had circular snouts.

"Ahhhh!" Double D shouted. He practically jumped on Link. "What are these?"

"They are called Deku Scrubs." Link said, also in a small amount of distress. "They aren't too friendly. We better run!"

Double D looked around frantically. "Where's the bike?"

"Forget about it!" Link shouted, grabbing Double D's arm. "Just run!"

The two of them took off running into what seemed like an infinite field of darkness.

"Ah, Link! Can't you fight them?" Double D shouted as they ran.

"There's too many!" Link shouted back.

There was the sudden sound of a much louder straw-scratching noise. Both of them looked back and saw a huge Deku rushing toward them faster then the speed of either of them.

They both froze and screamed as the tall monster reached them.

Both of them flashed their eyes and found themselves back in the same cavern they fell into. Not a single Deku was in there with them, but the Skull kid was there, floating above them and watching.

For some reason, Double D felt a little disoriented. He felt like he was much shorter, like at a child's size. "…oh dear, what just happened?"

Double D suddenly realized the voice that spoke didn't sound human. It was definitely his voice, but it sounded distorted. It was a bit wobbly and up another octave.

"What in Sam hill!" he exclaimed. He slowly walked toward the little pond of water and faced refection, only to discover that it wasn't his own. What was once Double D was now a strange transformation. He was now made out of wood, about three feet tall at the maximum. His eyes were now orange. His black strands of hair turned to three blades of grass, sticking out of his still intact hat which now almost touched the floor. His mouth was replaced by a long wooden snout. His shirt was also missing, but he still had his blue pants on, though they had shrunken to fit, and his backpack remained there, hanging on his wooden shoulders. His red socks and sneakers also remained intact, though they now fit strangely on his wooden body.

He could hear another gasp. It was Link, in a very similar transformation. His body was now about three feet tall. His tunic was gone, except for the kilt which stayed on him. His mouth, eyes and hair had all gone through the strange transformations.

Both of them had been turned into Deku Scrubs.

The skull kid gave a loud, devilish laugh. "Hahaha! A great look for the both of you! You'll stay this way forever!"

The Skull kid began to float away, through a nearby tunnel. Tael and Tatl were following closely behind. Link suddenly grabbed Double D and began to drag him along as he tried to run after the skull kid.

It was then that the white fairy named Tatl rushed away from the Skull Kid and flew right against Link. With a single strike, Link flew back and hit Double D, causing them both to fall down. Tatl gave a hissing sound, trying to fend them further off.

By then, the skull kid had rounded a corner in the tunnel and was gone. Tael looked back. "SIS!"

Just like that, a huge stone door fell and slammed shut, sealing the tunnel behind it.

Tatl turned and gasped in shock. She began to twitch a little, making ringing sounds that sounded similar to that of a cash register. The little white fairy rushed toward the door. "Tael! Brother!"

The little fairy rocketed toward the door and began to recklessly pound on it.

"Open, you lousy door!' she yelled in anger, trying to break it open. Of course, there was no way such a tiny little sprite could break down the door. Sadly, she stopped, her wings dipping down.

Tatl turned around and spotted the two Deku that she was left with. Deku Edd was busy having a spaz attack while Deku Link was trying to get used to his new form. Immediately getting angry again, she raced back toward them. She flew right into Deku Link's face. Double D turned and looked at the angry fairy.

"Now look what you have gone and done!" Tatl yelled.

"Excuse me?" Double D asked in his higher Deku voice. "…but you were the one who attacked us."

The fairy flew past Link and right toward Double D, who gave a startled gasp. "…and who are you to accuse me of that?"

"You attacked me, you attacked my friends, your spine-chilling masked companion absconded with my friends things and Link's horse, apparently, cursed us, and now it's our fault?" Double D asked. "Astonishing."

The Fairy looked hesitant for a comeback.

Link looked back at them with a slightly annoyed look. "Who care's who's fault this is? We must hurry up after that Skull kid!"

Tatl sighed and looked back. "Yes, please open that door so we can get moving! …Tael… take care."

As the two boys began to walk toward the door, they could hear their new feet making strange squishing sounds as they walked.

"I must be dreaming, that's what I am doing." Double D said. "A strange nightmare educed by being with Eddy too much, that's it."

Link and Tatl looked at Double D as he talked to himself. "…any minute now, I'll awaken in my comfortable bed back at Peach Creek. Any minute now-"

"Double D, get a hold of yourself!' Tatl said. "This is no dream!"

Double D looked a little nervous. "This is impossible, I guarantee! This is a scientific impossibility! No one can turn a person into a monster just by starring at them!"

"Say whatever you want." Link said. "…but you need to face reality. I am just as new to this as you are."

"How can you be so calm?" Double D asked.

Link sighed. "…look, I have been through many things. Terrible things beyond your comprehension."

Double D's eyes slowly narrowed, as he slowly began to calm down. Taking a deep breath through his snout, he spoke. "Then we best get going?"

"Yeah." Link said.

"There!" Tatl shouted. "He's ready, can we go now?"

"Yes, let's go." Link said. He walk toward the door with Double D behind him and the fairy in the rear…

* * *

Eddy sighed and got up out of his bed. It must have been very late at night, possibly early morning.

He was tired and not at all in the mood to be up at this hour. Still, since the incident last afternoon, he was a little worried. Double D hadn't come back at all. He figured he would quickly go over to his house, check up on him, raid his fridge, then split.

_"Remember, Eddy, you're not going to see if he's ok." _Eddy tried to assure himself. _"I'm just going to raid the fridge."_

Eddy slowly walked out of his house with his jacket.

The front yard we left the same as it was before. The stall was never taken down, and there was still some skid marks that lead from the stall to the woods. He ignored it and continued to walk across the street. He came across Double D's door. Not even bothering to knock, he walked right on in. There was a light coming from his kitchen.

"Hey, Double D!" he called, walking toward Double D's kitchen. He walk in and saw someone standing in front of the fridge. That person quickly turned around.

"Ed?" Eddy asked in surprise.

"Hello." Ed said, cramming his mouth full of food.

"…er, yeah. Double D here?" Eddy asked.

Ed shrugged and continued to eat.

"C'mon Ed, it's not cool to eat someone's stuff without them knowing." Eddy said.

"Oh, gotcha." Ed said, walking toward Eddy.

"It's weird, lumpy. I haven't seen Sockhead all day. And doncha think it's a little weird someone so uptight wouldn't at least call or something'?"

"I dunno." Ed said with a stuffed mouth.

"…look lumpy, I'm gonna head out to the woods. I'll betcha anything he got himself lost." Eddy said. "C'mon, lumpy."

"Commin', Eddy!" Ed said with a laugh.

* * *

By now, Link had led Double D and Tatl a far distance into the tunnel. The entire way, Double D was bringing Kevin's bike along with them, wheeling it along side him. Because he was too small, neither Double D or Link could ride it.

"Uh oh, we've got a problem." Link said.

Right before them was a need hole, leading strait down into a dark abyss. From within the hole was a series of towering rocks, and on the other end, a pathway leading further in. On each of the platforms, there was those huge flowers again.

"…great, what do we do now?" Double D asked.

"…you're apparently not used to your Deku bodies, are you?" Tatl said.

"Well, I've only been like this for a little bit." Double D said. "Forgive me if I have never heard of a Deku before, ok?"

"So you are saying we can get across this somehow?" Tatl asked.

"Yeah." Tatl said. "See those flowers?" She gestured toward the series of large flowers all over the place. "These are called Deku flowers. You can burrow into them. And when you decide to pop out, you will get some flowers, magical of course, that will let you fly across."

"…you expect us to get across here with flowers?" Link asked.

"Yes, haven't you been paying attention?" She snapped. Though in a few seconds, she calmed down. "…look, I suppose all this arguing isn't going to solve anything. I know I did some pretty mean stuff before, but I call for a truce, just until we find the skull kid again."

"Deal." Link and Double D said at the same time.

"Good, then I will come with you." Tatl said.

"What?" Link asked. "Why?"

"Face it, kids. I'm the only one of us from this world, you need me." Tatl said.

"Agreed." Double D said. "Any information about all of this may be useful."

Link and Tatl both nodded.

"…so then, shall we try this?" Link asked. He walked toward the flower and stood on top of it.

"…so, I burrow in this thing?" Link asked, turning his head in some disbelief.

"Yes!" Tatl shouted, sounding a bit aggravated.

Link looked down on the flower. "Hm…." he reached down at the rims of the center and pulled them open. Instantly, the flower suddenly seemed to swallow his foot. Link gasped and gave a startled shout as he spiraled and sunk into the flower's depths, until he eventually sunk into the flower's depths.

Double D rushed over to the flower. "What a discovery!" he shouted.

"…ok, I'm in." Link's muffled voice replied.

"Now jump out!" Tatl shouted.

From the flower, Link suddenly rocketed out. He flew up in the air. Somehow, he was holding two stems, with two flowers on each one. As soon as he rocketed up, the large, fan-like pedals began to spin rapidly like helicopter blades. Link was now hovering in the air.

"There you go." Tatl said. "Go on, fly over to the other side."

Double D watched in astonishment as Link flew across gracefully. "…now I have seen everything."

"Nah, you haven't even seen the surface of this place yet. Just you wait." Tatl said. Link reached the other side and let go of the flowers, which broke apart as he did. Link looked back toward Double D and Tatl.

"Your turn." Tatl said to Double D.

The Sockhead gulped. "…oh dear, oh my…" he said, approaching the flower. "…wait a moment, how am I going to get the bike across?"

"Leave it, you don't need it." Tatl said.

"Nonsense." Double D said. He brought the bike next to the flower. Double D then reached for the rim on the flower. Instantly, it swallowed the very startled Deku, until he was within the flower.

A second later, Double D shot back out of the flower. As he did, he grabbed the bike. Letting one of the two copter-flowers fly again, he attacked the second to the bike's handle bar. He gave it a kick and let it go. Double D fell back to the ground, as the bike drifted across the hole. Link jumped as high as he could and caught the bike. As he brought it back down on the other side, the second copter flower disintegrated.

"Brilliant." Tatl said. "Your smarts are going to be useful here."

"Oh, um… thanks." Double D said.

Double D would have smiled if this new form allowed him to. Now, walking to the flower, he jumped in and emerged again with the copter flowers. In no time, he was across.

"Nice work." Tatl said. "Let's keep going…"

The three of them progressed through the next tunnel.

This next room was very strange. It looked like the inside of a factory. There was a huge gear in the middle of the room, being powered by a watermill by a river that flowed right through the chamber. A ramp from there lead strait up to another floor.

"…strange." Double D said. "The mechanics here would indicate a mill."

"A clock tower, actually." Tatl said. "That ramp leads outside. I'm positive the Skull Kid is out there somewhere."

"Great, let's get out of here." Double D said. "I could really use some fresh air right about now."

The two of them began to walk up the ramp slowly.

"Hold it." a voice said. "You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?"

All three of them stopped. They turned around and spotted a man behind them with a huge backpack. He was in a crouching position probably from the huge bag. His hands where held together at his lap as he smiled at them with his eyes closed. His orange hair looked very contrasting against his purple robes.

Link instantly frowned. "Both of you, stay behind me." he voice was serious.

Tatl flew behind Link. "Link, he's scary." Double D also ran behind Link. "I concur with the fairy."

The man walked toward them slowly. Link spread both hands outward, ready to protect both Double D and Tatl.

"Don't worry." the man said. "I am not an enemy. Do not fear me. …now, I hope you all don't find this bad of me, but I have been following you both for a while now."

"So then you're a stalker." Link said. He took another step back, making Double D and Tatl do the same.

"No, I assure you I had a good reason. You see, I was robbed as well. …yes, by that creepy one."

"The Skull kid!" Link, Double D, and Tatl all said at once.

"Indeed. That mischievous one." the man said. "But please, shall we get acquainted? I am the simple Happy Mask Salesman."

"I am Link." Link said.

"You… may call me Eddward."

"Tatl."

"A pleasure. But now, shall we get down to business?" the mask salesman said.

The four of them now stood at the top of the ramp near a doorway.

"So, I saw you two got turned into Deku." the salesman said. "…oh, what misfortune."

"We also got robbed." Link said. "That masked one stole my ocarina and horse."

"And my friends masks and other items." Double D said.

"…he has also stolen a mask from me." the mask salesman said.

"Oh heavens." Double D said. "Would that mask by any chance be a disturbing looking purple mask with huge piercing eyes and designs on it?"

"Correct." the salesman said. "…and I don't have time to explain now, you see, but that mask is very dangerous. I mean, what that thing did to the two of you is a very small fraction of what it's capable of."

"Do you jest?" Link asked. "…how can a mask be so powerful?"

"Just look at yourselves!" the mask salesman said. Both the Dekus looked at themselves. "Oh."

"…listen, I know of a remedy to bring you both back to your normal forms." the salesman said. Link, Double D, and Tatl looked up. "…you do?"

"Yes. Link, you must get back your ocarina from that Skull Kid." the salesman said. "…if you can get it back, I can turn you to normal."

"Thanks." Link said.

"However, there's a catch." the salesman continued.

_"Of course." _Double D thought. _"There's always a catch with salesmen, it doesn't matter where in the world or what world you are at." _Speaking aloud, Double D asked: "…what is it?"

"That mask must be retrieved from the Skull kid." the salesman said. "…you must bring it to me, understand? You MUST!"

"Got it." Double D said.

"No worries, creepy." Tatl said.

"And you must get it soon." the salesman said. "For you see, I do have my business, and I must depart from this land in three days."

"No problem." Double D said. "I must leave here in three days as well. That will take up my three day weekend."

"Ah, good, good." the salesman said. "…now, off with you. You'll find town outside of these doors." the salesman said. He pointed at the doorway ahead of them. "Go and find the Skull kid."

Link, Double D, and Tatl all nodded.

As the three of them walked toward the doors, Double D quickly glanced at his watch. As the door slowly opened, revealing the town behind it, it struck 6:00am. The timer had been started.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **_So Double D is now on his own little journey with Link and Tatl, Eddy and Ed are on their adventure to find Double D, and who knows what else may come. From here on out, there's heavy spoilers, so be on the lookout for those. And of course, my own little plot twists. More on the way, but please review._


	3. Chapter 3: Clock Town

**Author's Notes: **_Ah, so delayed! Sorry for that delay. I have completed this next chapter a little later then I had hoped, but I still hope you enjoy it anyway!_

Chapter 3: Clock Town

_Friday, Day 1: 6:00AM (72 hours remain)_

As the doors finished opening, they three of them came across an amazing sight.

There was what looked like a town square for a medieval looking settlement. Stalls shielded with straw rooftops made areas for shade. Buildings made of wood stood all around them. From there, 4 different archways led to 4 different areas. One to the left, two in front of them, and a fourth to the right.

The two Deku turned around and looked at the clock tower that they had emerged from. It was made of stone, unlike most of the buildings are them. It was a huge tower, that pointed into the sky. Three huge clocks were on the south, west and east sides. These clocks were highly unusual, because of the strange symbolic designs on the face of the clock. The topmost part of the tower was a huge spinning point, turning as fast as the clock's hands turned. That must have been a minute indicator.

"…whoa." Link said.

"What a marvel of a tower!" Double D exclaimed. "…what kind of town is this?"

"This, my new friends, is Clock Town!" Tatl said. "This town is right in the center of the land of Termina."

"Termina." Link repeated. "I never heard of such a place."

"Same." Double D said.

"Termina is not a kingdom like from where Link comes from, but instead a country. This is Clock Town, right in the center of the land and therefore the capital. There are villages to the South, North, West, and South West. None of which dominate over another, so they work under they own government." Tatl began to fly to and fro as she continued. Link and Double D listened attentively as Tatl continued her speech.

"Clock Town was built around this tower, the clock tower. Here, time is the single most important thing. People here live on a very tight schedule, you see. But as of now, everyone is in a hurry, trying to prepare the town for a festival."

"Well, we can worry about that later." Link said. "But for now, we need to try and find that Skull Kid."

"I have a suggestion then. Up in North Clock Town, there's a great entity called the Great Fairy. She is kind of like a queen for little sprites like me." Tatl said. "…She's bound to know where the Skull kid is."

Double D nodded. "Sounds good enough to me."

* * *

_Friday, Day 1: 7:15 AM (70 hours, 45 min remain)_

Eddy gave an exasperated groan. "…Oh, this is getting so boring!" Eddy said. He looked over to Ed, who was sweating.

The two of them had been hiking in the woods for hours now, following the bike marks that had been left in the woods. They had gone on for miles on end.

"Oh, come on!" Eddy sighed. "What did he do, ride to china?"

"Maybe he was abducted!" Ed shouted. He pointed up into the sky as Eddy gave a ticked off face. "CURSE YOU, ZORBA, YOU-"

Ed was cut off as Eddy slammed him on the head, causing him to crash on the floors. "Take five, Ed. Maybe you can add 5 to your IQ."

Eddy looked around. The sun was rising over the tree tops now, so Eddy turned off a flashlight he had brought with him.

He looked to his right and spotted a strange looking cloud of fog up ahead.

"Whoa, check it out, lumpy!" Eddy shouted.

Ed tilted his head from where he lay on the ground. "…cool."

Eddy helped up the tallest of the two. "The tires lead right on in there."

"AWESOME!" Ed shouted. "Let's go, Eddy!"

Ed suddenly grabbed his little companion. "ED?" Eddy shouted. But to no avail. Ed rushed right into the cloud of fog without a second thought.

"……..aaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!-OOF!"

Both of the two Eds smashed right into the grass below them.

"…granddad… you stole my waffle." Eddy groaned with his face still in the ground.

The two began to climb back up.

"Hey, Eddy, I don't remember this place." Ed said.

"You don't remember anything, Ed." Eddy said. "Unlike you, I know exactly where we are."

"Oh, cool!" Ed said. "Can you bring us to Double D?"

"Heck, yeah!" Eddy said. "Uh… um… there." Eddy said, pointing toward a tunnel in a tree. "…he's got to be in there."

* * *

_Friday, Day 1: 7:18 AM (70 hours, 42 min remain)_

"This is the north." Tatl said.

Double D and Link where both in the northern area. There was not much to be noted here. Looked like nothing short of a small field.

Tatl looked around both ways. "The great Fairy is just up here."

Double D now had a small chain tied to the back, hauling the bike behind himself. Tatl was leading Link and Double D to a cavern entrance.

"Looks dark." Link said, peering ahead.

Double D placed his wooden hands against his hips. "…call it human intuition, but I think there's something seriously wrong here."

The three of them continued to walk into the cavern. Up ahead were the glow of a series of lights. Lights being reflected off a small body of water.

"This is the Fountain." Tatl said. "She lives here."

The three continued their path through the tunnel, until they reached the fountain itself.

"…whoa, really weird." Tatl said. "I have never seen so many fairies gathered here before."

Up ahead, floating over the fountain were a series of little orange sprites flying to and fro. They all looked in a bit of a panic.

"..Oh dear, what in heaven's name?" Double D asked. "I wonder what the situation is."

"Wait a moment!" Tatl shouted. "The Great Fairy is missing!"

The three of them reached the front of the fountain. Link was the first one to actually set foot in the water. "…have any of you seen the great fairy?"

All of them suddenly jumped. "I am the great fairy!" they all shouted.

Double D's eyes narrowed as he folded his arms together. "…pardon?"

"We are!" the all repeated.

Double D gave them all back a face of disbelief. "…And how do you figure that?"

"It's because this malevolent being with the mask attacked us! He shattered my being and broke me up into smaller fairies!" they all said.

Double D sighed. "This is a little bit farfetched, don't you think?"

"It's no joke, you ignorant boy!" Tatl shouted, slamming against Double D. "The skull kid has struck again!"

"…so then why can't you simply reform?" Link asked.

"One of my shards has gone missing!" they all shouted back. "I can't find her, I think she's lost somewhere in town!"

The three of them looked back out of the tunnel.

"Ok, do you have any idea where?" Double D asked.

"Could be anywhere in town, to be honest." Tatl said. The two Deku turned their attention to the small fairy floating overhead. "Once they get free, a fairy can go wherever she wants."

"…well, be best be going." Double D said. "…I still don't know how much of all of this I believe, but it's more then apparent that something is horribly awry."

"Please, go forth!" the fairies all exclaimed simultaneously.

* * *

_Friday, Day 1: 10:32 AM (66 hours, 28 min remain)_

"It's been a few hours already." Link said.

"Oh, quit your complaints." Tatl said.

Double D looked around the new region they were in. It was another town square, with a few more houses and shops. This looked like the more economical side of the town. There was a few people around, the mailman going his rounds, a couple children running about, two people looking like they were trying to juggle a set of balls, and a knight-looking person standing near an exit.

"Welcome to East Clock Town, boys." Tatl said. "This is a relatively calm area. There's a few houses, an Inn, the mayor's house, and the town's east exit."

"Maybe we should check the outer rim of the town." Link said. "Perhaps the skull kid has gone out?"

Link led the two of them toward the main gate.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!"

The three of them were all halted by a guard, who was blocking the east exit gate.

"Yes, officer?" Double D asked.

"Sorry, kids." the guard said. "Listen, if you want to leave town, you'll need to leave with your parents."

"Um… my parents are in another dimension." Double D said.

"Likely story, kid." the guard said. "Nobody leaves under the age of 10, without a weapon, or a passport."

"…Wait, I'm over 10!" Double D said. "We all are!"

"Double D, look at yourself." Tatl said. "In that form, you look about 7 years old."

"Now listen kids." the guard said. All three of them looked up at the guard. "…there's a rumor going around, a bad one." the guard said. "Surely, you know what I mean."

All three of them glances back with blank expressions.

"Seriously?" the guard asked. "All three of you, I must caution you. Look up, but don't be alarmed."

They all looked up into the sky. What they saw was something one wouldn't expect to see. There was the moon, but it was hanging over Clock Town. The most notable thing about it was that this moon had a face on it. Two glaring orange eyes. They were looking directly down at the city. There was also a mouth on the moon. The moon appeared to be gritting it's teeth. The moon also looked dangerously close to the ground. Instead of the usual size of the moon, it looked as if it had increased in size 2 times.

"OH MY GOODNESS!" Double D shouted.

"…That moon isn't natural!" Link shouted. "There's no way!"

"No, you don't understand!" Double D exclaimed. "That moon is too close to this world. It won't be able to sustain orbit! In fact, It's bound to be pulled in by the world's gravitational pull and thusly collide!"

"Collide?" Tatl asked. "You mean, crash!"

"It's true." the guard said. "My commanding officer estimated the time and thinks the moon is going to right here in Clock Town, at exactly 6AM in three days, including this day as one of the three!"

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!" Double D shouted. "Oh what have we stumbled into?" he asked Link.

"…there's no doubt about it." Link said. "This must definitely be the Skull Kid's work."

"…is the Skull kid really that powerful?" Tatl asked.

"He must be." Link said. "This child is not just any mere thief, he's also a powerful wielder of Dark Magic." The Deku cupped one hand and punched it with the other. "…and that mask of his must be the key to his power."

Double D was still in a panic. "…now we must find that Skull Kid, take back our items, transform to our original forms, and somehow escape before 6AM in just three days?"

"Listen." Link said, turning to the frightened sock hat. "…all of that means we must not panic now. Time is our worst enemy. There will be relentless tasks we must endure. Our new forms adapting to a new world will be a very hard challenge. Pretty soon, we'll find the Skull Kid. We have to be ready for him."

"…yes, yes, you're right." Double D said.

"…ok, are you calm now?" Link asked.

"…I… think so." Double D said, giving a large exhale.

"Me too, I'm all set." Tatl said.

Link nodded. "See? We'll get through with this, and all go back to our own lives very soon. Right now, we'll all need each other's cooperation more then ever."

"Agreed." Double D and Tatl said simultaneously.

There was a bit of silence.

"So then, what now?" Tatl asked.

"Let's split up." Double D said. "This way, we can cover more ground faster."

"Ok." Tatl said. "There are five general areas in town. I'll can check out North Clock town."

"I can cover the South and East." Link replied.

"Double D, you should go west and to the Laundry Pool." Tatl said. "Their locations are pretty self explanatory."

"Got it." Double D said. "Meet back at the Clock Tower at sundown and we can discuss what to do from there."

* * *

_Friday, Day 1: 12:00 PM (66 hours remain)_

Double D tilted his head to hear the clock tower calling out to the town. There was a series of sounds of a metal rod hitting another metal surface. Indeed, the bell's call sounded about 12 times.

"Noon." Double D said. "…oh dear, time is running out!" Getting a bit of a rush from the chills that rushed down his now-wooden spine, he continued to walk ahead, still wheeling Kevin's bike along.

He was now in West Clock town. Unlike East Clock town, which seemed to thrive on entertainment and leisure, this section of the time-revolving town seemed to be based on commerce. The entire west side of town was one long and simple road. A few flags and lines hung overhead, and the west half of the section was covered under a straw roof that stretched nearly through the entire street. There were a total of 6 different buildings there, all lines up on the simple road. From left to right:

"The Curiosity Shop, The Trading Post, Bomb Shop, Clock Town Bank, Swordsman's School, and the Post office."

Double D decided that some of these shops were a bit more safe then others. The Bomb Shop and Swordsman's School were places he knew he wouldn't want to be anywhere near.

The little Deku proceeded even further down the road and ended up in another area. This section was more secluded into the town. There was a pool in the middle of the area. In the entrance to this section was a bell, and on the opposing end of the area, was a single, lonely door. There was also a couple of wooden benches and torches, but that was it for this area.

_"…I'll bet this is the Laundry Pool that Tatl was talking about." _Double D thought as he walked toward the body of water.

The little Deku boy stopped himself at the edge of the pool and looked down into it. Once again, he spotted his own reflection. His worried little wooden face was looking back up at him as his black sock-hat flapped in the breeze. As he looked down in it, he could also see the moon that was hanging over the town. Looking into the water still, he looked the moon right in the reflection. It's piercing orange eyes immediately gave him the chills.

_"…I don't know how much I still believe in all of this, but I know that it's going to fall. It's mathematically certain."_

However, the boy's gaze was immediately changed. Double D spotted something orange behind him. He could see in the water that it was a small thing, floating right over his shoulder. Before Double D could even turn, the little creature gave him a nudge on his left shoulder.

Double D gasped and jumped in panic. Though it was unintentional, he fell right toward the Laundry Pool. He instantly believe he was going to get drenched. But instead, when his feet touched the water, they simply bounced back off. Double D's eyes widened as he was unexplainably bouncing back into the air. Double D looked down into the water. He realized he hadn't even made a splash. As the Deku boy returned back to the earth, he watched in curiosity as his feet hit the water, and bounced back a second time. This time, however, his feet had gone in very slightly, resulting in a small splash. He hopped again, and came back down.

This time, he bounced again. This time, his feet had gone under, but were thrust back, resulting in an even larger splash.

Double D figured out that the ratio of these bounces would have him sinking all the way in if he didn't get himself off the water. When he was in the air, he spun himself, thus throwing himself back onto dry land abruptly. As he did, he slammed into the same bell he had seen before. _"I guess Deku Scrubs can jump on water."_

On cue of the bell, there was the sound of a door opening. Double D looked up and watched as the lonely door in the Laundry Pool opened up.

Behind it, was a small boy. He had a purple shirt and pants, with darker purple curly designs on his shirt, leading down to his brown boots. His sleeves were white with the same purple designs. Around his neck was a pennant, with blue and gold designs that looked similar to an insect. A curious thing to not about this boy, was that he was wearing an odd mask. It was a yellow mask. On the top were two novelty ears that looked like ears on fox. It had black, closed eyes, and a pointed nose. The mask looked very similar to that of a cartoonish fox. Behind the mask was long, purple hair that had a nice shine which was noticeable in the sun's rays. The boy was about as tall as Double D would be in his human form.

Double D's Deku eyes continued to watch the strange boy. Both of them looked at one another. Double D was positive the masked boy was examining him just as much as Double D was examining the masked-boy.

After a minute or so, the masked boy quietly turned around and walked toward the door. He lifted his pale arm and turned the knob. The masked-boy walked about half-way through the door, then looked back at Double D one last time. Then, he turned back and proceeded through the door. With that, the door had shut, and by the sound of a click, had locked. There it had happened. The boy turned and left without saying a word.

Double D sighed. "…I wonder who that was."

He suddenly realized he had forgotten all about the thing that had forced him into the water. He looked back and saw the thing that had knocked him in was a little sprite. It resembled the little shards that were in the fountain before.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" the fairy shard said. "But please, can you help me?"

Double D sighed. "Yes, yes. I am well aware you need to be brought back to the Fairy's Fountain."

"Oh, you are? Can you?" the little sprite asked worriedly.

"Don't worry, I can." Double D said. He looked back at the door once more. "Oh, and… do you know who that was?"

"Who who was?" She asked, confusedly.

"That masked boy." Double D said.

"…I didn't see anyone. I guess I wasn't paying attention."

Double D rose his wooden hand and placed it on his head. "I know I saw him… weird… perhaps I need to come back later to investigate… but for now, I'd better go and find the others. Come with me."

"Ok, Deku!" the sprite said.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **_So, that basically sums up that chapter. More on the way. Please review in the meantime._


	4. Chapter 4: The Midnight Theft

**Author's Notes: **_Another new chapter, after a bit of a delay. This one, unlike the first three, focus more on events that happen to Eddy and Ed then it does with Double D. Don't think it's going to stay focused on Eddy and Ed, the main focus is still Double D, of course. Nontheless, here it is:_

Chapter 4: The Midnight Theft

Friday, Day 1: 6:00 PM (60 hours remain)

There was a loud chiming sound in the sky. Double D looked up into the sunset, which was at the time being blocked by the town's trademark Clock tower.

"6pm." Double D said. He could see a few stars glowing in the sky already. People, for some reason, were around the plaza around the clock. It was quite warm out that night, a refreshing breeze accompanying the warmth to provide complete comfort. Double D was already feeling better from before.

_"It's going to be ok." _he thought to himself. _"At this point, Eddy and Ed will no doubt be looking for me." _Double D glanced over at the bike that he had took with him. _"Kevin will also be trying to find me too, because of the bike. And the Kankers…" _Double D would have grimaced if it weren't for the fact that his new form didn't let him make facial expressions easily.

"_No doubt they are going to try and find out all of this, they meddle far too much to expect anything less… let's see, then if Ed goes, Sarah will try to follow him, and Jimmy will be with her short-after. Nazz wouldn't dare let two children wander alone, so she would come too. Then there's Jonny, who's probably doing everything in his power to find Plank, so he may come here. Rolf has a strange fixation to seeking vengeance, so he might come to find his stolen shovel. See, Double D? In no time, everyone's going to come here to my aid… won't they?"_

"Hey, move it, Deku scrub!" a gruff voice said behind him.

He felt myself being nudged to the left. A huge, black-bearded, burly man walked on past, dressed in a blue vest. He was carrying a huge long wooden pole with him.

"Oh, sorry." Double D replied.

The man didn't reply, and simply kept on walking. Double D looked down. "I wonder, what are all of these men building? I know it's for a carnival, of some sort Tatl told me that. The carnival of time… but what are they building? And does it have something to do with the moon-"

"Double D, there you are!" Tatl shouted. Double D looked up and spotted Link and Tatl in front of him. "Did you find anything?"

"I did indeed." Double D said. He opened up a pocket, and just like that, the small little fairy he found earlier popped out, flying right in front of Tatl.

"Oh, you found it!" Tatl shouted.

"Nice work, there." Link said. "We better get her back to the queen right now."

Double D nodded. As he did, he looked up into the night sky again. He spotted the wicked moon hanging in the sky again. However, it now looked just a bit closer then it was before. It's huge eyes were looking strait down at the town, and the moon had positioned itself directly above the Clock Tower. Double D felt a small chill rush down him again.

"C'mon, don't waste time!" Tatl shouted.

"Oh, right!" Double D replied before running to catch up with the others.

* * *

Friday, Day 1: 10:00 PM (56 hours remain) 

The big metal doors shot open, pushed aside by the angry boy behind it.

"ARGH!" Eddy called out, his voice echoing in the spacious chamber of the Clock Tower. He walked in, growing, with both his fists at his sides. He could hear Ed laughing behind him, but he didn't care. Eddy's face was still burning hot with anger.

"Eddy, I am stuck!" Ed shouted. "OMPH!"

Eddy sighed and turned around. He noticed the tallest of the Eds was caught in the doorway, the back of his jacket was snagged as it shut behind him. Ed was trying desperately to break free, shaking and snarling. "It's trying to eat me!"

Eddy growled, turned around, then gave Ed a prompt smack on the head. "SHUT UP ALREADY!" Eddy grabbed the edge of the shirt and gave a slight tug on it, causing it to break free of the door. Ed gasped and fell down on the ground, freed from the door.

Eddy growled again. "Ed, if I have to put up with one more of your stupid complaints-"

"Eddy, I'm hungry."

"ARGH!" Eddy grabbed Ed's collar and shook him.

"Ah, Eddy!" Ed shouted.

"It was bad enough you kept tugging on my chain and sent me capturing across that pit with the flowers, and you really wrecked my hair, but you just won't stop!"

"I am sorry, Eddy, I just wanted some Gravy." Ed said.

Eddy slapped himself, the grabbed his head and tried to calm himself down. "Ok, Ed. We'll get a bite when we get back to my house."

Eddy began to look around the chamber. It was pretty dark, with a river running through it. A hug gear system was turning slowly on the river, and beside was that a ramp leading strait up the stone tower.

"…so, we're do ya think we are?" Eddy asked.

Ed sighed and gave a shrug.

"Eh, I'll bet we're in some part of the sewers we never bothered to check out. We're probably right under the Cul-de-sac." Eddy said.

They began to slowly walk up the ramp. Up above was a larger chamber, with a doorway leading strait out.

"Sweet, I'll bet Double D's over there." Eddy said.

"Hold it." a voice said, coming from behind.

Eddy turned around and spotted a strange man, carrying a huge bag on his back. This strange man had orange hair and a creepy smile on his face.

"AH!" Eddy shouted, jumping in surprise. Ed, who was standing right next to Eddy, jumped shortly after spotting the man.

Eddy looked down and pried off a small floor-tile. He pointed it's sharpened end at the man. "Keep away from me, don't make me use this!"

The man gave a bigger smile and have a small, creepy laugh. "Don't worry." the man said. "I am not an enemy. Do not fear me. …now… say, by any chance, would you know a little guy with a green hat?"

"No, but we know a guy with a sock hat. A charming fellow, he is." Ed said goofishly.

"Oh, there was a Deku Scrub with a sock-hat, and some blue pants too. He had a bicycle with him." the man said.

"Sounds like Double D!" Ed shouted.

"Ok, but what the heck's a Deku Scrub?" Eddy asked. Ed shrugged again.

"Oh, true. The poor boy must have been transformed after you separated then." the man said again.

"Something's happened to Double D?" Eddy asked. "What happened! You better give me answers, or I'll-"

"Relax, child." the man said. "I'm positive he's in town somewhere."

"Who are you, and how do you know all this?" Eddy back.

The strange man smiled. "My name is of no importance, but you man call me the Happy Mask Salesman. And you?"

"Eddy."

"I am Lothar, destroyer of _evil_!"

Eddy gave Ed another quick slap. "That's Ed."

The Mask Salesman nodded.

Eddy turned around to look at Ed. "Ed, come 'ere a sec." Eddy made Ed take a few steps toward the wall. Eddy took another look back to the Mask Salesman, who simply waved back.

Eddy turned around again after he made sure that the man was out of earshot. "Ed, something's up with this guy."

"Oh?" Ed asked.

"Yeah, I got a bad feeling about him. Doncha think it's weird our masks are stolen, and then this guy appears with a huge bag of stuff?" Eddy asked. "And really… I don't trust him because he's a salesman."

Ed gave back a blank stare. Eddy sighed, but continued to talk, pretending Ed knew what he was talking about.

"I don't trust his type. He's a salesman. He's not to be trusted, I should know. I got to make sure we stay clear away from this freak."

Ed's eyes widened. "OH, I get it, that guy's a-"

Eddy quickly clamped his hands over Ed's mouth. Eddy looked back nervously, and spotted the masked salesman who gave another wave. Eddy removed one hand to give a sheepish wave back, the turned back to Ed.

"Meanwhile, Double D's somewhere in this town, and in trouble without me to fix things, like always." Eddy said. "And if he doesn't make it back… then how am I supposed to mooch off his essay?"

Ed gasped. "You're right! To Double D, we must find, for I, Ed, shall-"

"Heh, if I may say something before you two walk away." the Mask Salesman said. They both looked over at him.

"What is it?" Eddy asked.

"You two, going to find a lost friend… he must be quite happy to have friends like you… tell me, helping out friends… does it make you… (his face slowly contorted to a disturbing smile, as his eyes narrowed. He gritted his teeth through the final word) …happy?"

Eddy and Ed both starred back, eyes wide. They walked toward the door of the tower, anxious to get out. "Sure?" Eddy asked.

Without waiting for a reply, both of the two Eds rushed out of the door. Ed led, followed by Eddy. As Eddy ran out of the room, he could hear the Mask Salesman laughing creepishly. Eddy and Ed turned around and watched as the two huge doors shut by themselves, sealing away the Mask Salesman.

"Whew…" Eddy sighed. "That guy was creepy."

"You said it, he reminded me of a movie I saw, about this weird guy, who, um, had the same expression." Ed said.

"What happened in it?" Eddy asked out of curiosity.

"The man killed his victims!" Ed shouted, pointing up into the starry sky.

Eddy growled. "Ed, I really don't think Double D's dead." He gave a breath and looked up and around the strange new town they had run into.

"C'mon, we got a lot of places to look." Eddy said.

* * *

Friday, Day 1: 11:59 PM (54 hours, 1 minute remaining remain) 

"Come on, hurry!" Tatl shouted.

They had run back into the northern section of Clock Town. The two fairies were leading both Double D and Link through the section of the town. Now that it was pitch dark, there wasn't anyone outside, save for the guard stationed at his post protecting the North exit and a small little kid running around outside after dark.

Tatl the Fairy hurried along, toward the tunnel that lead toe Fairy's Fountain Double D and Link stopped for a second.

"Oh wow, it's… a lot harder… to run… in this form then… I thought. I need to give… Deku Scrubs… more credit." Link said, panting between words.

"…I don't even like to run in my human form." Double D said. Link gave a small chuckle.

"Move it, we'll run out of time!" Tatl shouted, following the Fairy shard that rushed ahead. Double D and Link both moaned at the same time, before following.

It was no sooner then they had ran out of sight, then that Eddy and Ed wondered into the area.

"…man, where the heck are we? I never seen this place before in my life? Weird to believe it was so close to home." Eddy said. "I bet we could set up some pretty cool scams here."

"Ed knows! We are in the land of-"

Eddy was just about ready attack Ed again.

"…um, excuse me, children." an elderly voice said.

Both Ed and Eddy saw an old lady standing nearby. She wasn't too tall, but looked like she was trying to get somewhere. She was in a plaid shirt, and had a huge black back behind her.

"Oh, right." Eddy said, walking aside.

"Thank you, you man." She said, quivering. She began to walk away from them, down a pathway.

Eddy turned back to Ed. "Like I was saying, I swear Ed!' Eddy shouted. "I told you that if you annoyed me one more time, I'd-"

Ed laughed, assuming it was the start of some sort of game. "Ok, tag it is!"

"Er, what?" Eddy asked.

Ed suddenly gave Eddy a tap. Eddy gasped and lost his balance, before slowly fall down onto the ground. His face was left in the dirt. He gave a muffled ow, as a content Ed, who had no idea Eddy was in pain, gave a cheer. "Yay, I did it! What did I win?"

"You punk!" Eddy shouted, muffled in the ground.

"HEY!" a loud scream called out.

Everyone gasped. Eddy didn't know what was going on, since his face was still planted in the ground. Ed spotted the old woman that had just passed by them on, the ground. She looked like she had been knocked down on the ground. Her bag was missing, and she was pointing somewhere.

"STOP THAT THEIF!" She shouted.

Ed looked and gasped. A man was prancing toward them. He gave an annoyed expression and was lugging around a black bag identical to the one the old woman had. The man pointed at Ed. "Out of the way!"

"What?" Ed asked. "Who, where, when?" Ed sudden rushed away and began to run in circles. "Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!"

Eddy, who had no idea what was going on, sighed. "What's the deal-"

He gasped as he felt something kick against him. Eddy rolled on the ground and gave a gasp. As he did, he quickly spotted the thief. He had tripped over Eddy. The man slammed into the ground right beside Eddy. The bag fell out of his hand, landing on the ground. Eddy got to his feet before the thief could.

"Creeps, thieves, this place has it all!" Eddy said.

The thief got up. He was breathing heavily, starring right at Eddy. Eddy gave him a cold glare.

"You know what?" Eddy asked. "I hate it here."

The thief growled and tried to rush Eddy, who was standing in front of the stolen property. Ed suddenly came out of nowhere and attacked the thief, who gave a startled gasp. The thief spun around, trying to shake the thief off.

"Get your hands off me!" the thief shouted.

"Sic him, Ed!" Eddy shouted, grabbing the bag of stolen goods and making a run for it. Ed held onto the thief for as long as he could, but to no avail. Ed was suddenly thrust off, and the thief was off running. He had abandoned his spoils and made a run for it. He rushed past the gate guard. The guard shouted in distress and tried to stop him with his spear, but the enemy simply ran past. The guard sighed, since he couldn't leave his post, and resumed his position.

Eddy sighed in pain, and dropped the bag right next to the fallen old lady. She gave a smile as she slowly got up. Ed, who was also a little beaten up, walked into the scene as well.

"Thank you, kind sirs." She said.

Eddy gave a smile. "No prob, it was just another day for Eddy the Hero!"

"And Lothar!" Ed replied, nodding as well.

Eddy sighed. "His real name is Ed."

The old lady gave a happy smile. "Oh my, how can I repay you?"

Eddy's face beamed at the possibilities of a reward. "Oh, don't worry about that." Eddy said. He got close to her face. "But, if you want to, I accept cash, or cash."

"Oh… my. I don't have any rupees on my at the time."

Eddy's face stopped beaming, and he gave an expression of great disappointment.

"Oh, then let's go." Eddy said, turning around. "She obviously isn't that grateful, Ed."

"Oh wait, child, I still have a small something to offer." she said.

Eddy gave a grin when she wasn't looking. "Works every time." he whispered to Ed.

She reached into her bag, and pulled out a small, circular object. It was black, and about the size of a bowling ball. It had a hole in the bottom and in the front, a white picture of a skull and crossbones.

"Uh, what is that?" Eddy asked.

"The Bomb Mask." She said. "I work at a bomb shop, and I have this old thing. Surely, you can find some use for it."

Eddy shrugged. "Cool, I guess…"

The old lady smiled and gave the mask to Eddy. She closed her bag after that, then flung it behind her. "Well, I must be off. Thank you again, children."

With that, she walked away, into the town, leaving Eddy and Ed alone.

"Ok, what am I supposed to do with this?" Eddy asked.

"Put it on, Eddy!" Ed shouted. "Do it, I want to see!"

Eddy sighed. He took the bottom of the mask by the rims, and stretched it over his head. Then, giving a swift tug, the smallest of the Eds pulled the mask over his head.

"Oh wow, you look so cool!" Ed shouted. He grabbed Eddy. "With that skull and crossbones, you look like a pirate?"

"Uh, sure Ed." Eddy said. He made Ed let go and looked ahead for a few seconds. "…well, this is useless. What am I supposed to do with this thing?"

"Can you see, Eddy?" Ed asked.

"I can see, alright, but this mask feels pretty weird. This thing sort of smells like gunpowder." Eddy said. "…whatever. I think we should find a place to sleep in this town."

Eddy pulled off the mask and Ed gasped. "Why?"

""'cause, stupid, it's midnight! I'm so tired!" Eddy said. He took the mask and placed it into his shirt. "Let's just…" he gave a yawn. "Go to sleep."

Eddy sighed and walked toward a tree nearby a series of bushes. He sat down against the tree, closed his eyes, and was asleep in a matter of seconds.

Ed shrugged again. The tallest Ed walked over toward Eddy. He calmly stood beside Eddy. Then, closing his eyes, Ed fell to the ground, crawled into a fetal position, and was quickly asleep himself.

There was a bit of silence after that. There was the sound of a few crows calling in the distance, and a few sounds of construction work. Though in no time, a small breeze brushed through the area, lightly brushing their hair and cloths, and drowning out all of the other sounds nearby. For a night so calm and comforting, it was odd how neither of them had bothered to look up once.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **_That's that for now. The next chapter will focus much more on Double D and his side of the story. More coming, hopefully soon. Please review in the meantime!_


	5. Chapter 5: Bubbles and Buccaneers

**Author's Notes:**_ Yeah, extremely late, but I managed to get it done at last! I hope I haven't left people too ticked off about this one's lateness, though I haven't had inspiration for a while._

Chapter 5: Bubbles and Buccaneers

Saturday, Day 1: 5:55AM (48 hours, 5 minutes remain)

"You have all done fine work." the Great Fairy said. She had been revived after a little bit of sorting out. What was once a separate colony of fairies had merged together. Now, before Double D, Link, and Tatl was the great fairy. She was very tall, perhaps two stories, and flying above the fountain. Her long orange hair flowed about in the air, as if she were in water. The enormous fairy looked back down at them.

"Oh kind ones, thank you so for returning me to normal." She said.

"Oh, my…" Double D said, taking a step back from the fairy intimidated a bit by her size and stature. "…um, you're welcome."

"So then, is there anything you can do to turn these two back to their real forms?" Tatl asked.

"…unfortunately, the mask's curse is too strong." the great fairy said.

"Oh." Link said, looking down. Double D lifted his wooden hand and examined his face. "…this is going to take a while to get accommodated to."

"But fret not, little ones." the fairy said. "Allow me to aid you both."

The three of them all looked back up at the great Fairy.

"Really?" Double D asked. "It's nice to hear we can get some aid in this town."

The fairy began to float towards them. She lifted up both of her arms. At that same instant, both Double D and Link watched as rays of light began to shine from beneath them.

Double D gave a gasp. "My word, what is this!"

The light began to appear in wisps, flowing up from the ground circling around them. Double D eyes the lights in wonder, while Link looked a bit more causal and Tatl not caring all too much.

To the sock-hat's amazement, he was suddenly feeling very light, as if something else was supporting him, stronger then gravity. His sneakers began to lift off the stone ground of the fountain.

"Oh lord!" he exclaimed, flailing arms and legs about as he and Link both began to levitate off the ground. "Oh my, oh dear!"

"Pipe down, you're not in any danger, Deku." Tatl said. Link looked a bit calmer, though still on the alert. The wispy lights that flowed around them passed close by to them, grazing them once and while, leaving a strange surge of power with every touch.

Finally, after what seemed like a long time suspended in the air, they fell back down to the ground gently, landing on their feet. The lights faded away into the air, leaving behind a strange feeling.

Double D felt himself surging with energy. He left as though he had been charged up with immense power. Energy was flowing with him. He felt like a battery that had been completely recharged, almost ready to explode with excitement.

"Oh, oh, oh my! What energy!" Double D exclaimed quickly, holding up his two hands. Link equally exited, was shaking a bit.

"Geez, what did you do to them?" Tatl asked.

"I gave them… the ability to use magic." she said. "You recall, little fairy? When saved by a kind traveler, it's the Fairy's code to grant the traveler with magic."

"Yes, I know." Tatl said. The little one peered down at Double D and Link. "…but are you sure you didn't overdose?"

"Oh, I'm ok." Double D said, still shaking a little. "I admit, I'm a little sensitive to energy changes."

"Now… brave explorers…" the enormous Fairy said. "…both of you now posses new abilities… and yet you may not understand them. I know that you have only been in those forms for about a day now. Though now that you have a new power, you will have gained new abilities."

Link merely nodded.

"These abilities…" the queen went on. "…include stronger attack abilities. As well as a form of projectile…"

Double D, still quaking a bit, looked up at the tall figure. "Projectiles?"

"You can now shoot bubble blasts." the great fairy informed.

Double D sighed. "…well, _that_ sounds imposing."

"More importantly…" Tatl spoke up. "How do these two use it?"

"You only need to focus on a target, even from far away, and you'll see what happens."

Double D looked a tad confused. "…Thank you for this."

"It's all I can offer you, I'm afraid." the great fairy said with displeasure. "With that skull kid placing curses all over this country, there is only so much that I can do… if I could only get the other great fairies to help me out… but alas, there isn't enough time. For the time being, I'm putting my trust in you."

Link bowed to the great fairy as a sign of gratefulness.

"Well, we best be off." Tatl said, getting both of their attention. "The clock is ticking."

"Right." the sock-hat said. "Let's head off."

The queen understood their rush. "I hope my gift to you can help. Until the time comes that we shall meet again, goodbye!"

With that, the great fairy spun elegantly, and in a flash of sparkles and lights, she had vanished into the crystal blue fountain, to the surprise of both Double D and Link. Tatl, however, scoffed. "I can do just as fancy of a departure as she can."

"Let's worry about that a little later." Double D sighed. "Come, one full day has already passed. 2 more are left."

* * *

Saturday, Day 2: 6:10AM (47 hours, 50 minutes remain)

The second day looked just a little gloomier then the previous one. There were dense rain clouds that hovered over Clock Town. Of course, even through the clouds, the moon was visibly closer, twice as large as last day. The sense of forebode was just a bit stronger today.

The three of them had ventured all the way back into North Clock town just in time to greet the sun as it arose over the eastern horizon. It seemed like there were a few children outside, though there were not really as much folk walking outside as yesterday. Double D wasn't sure if it was because it looked like it might rain, or if they had all evacuated.  
"Where do you think we go now?" Tatl asked.

"Not sure." Double D said. "That was our one lead."

"I want to practice a little with that magic ability that the great fairy gave us." Link said.

"Do we have time for that?" Double D asked.

"Whatever you want to do, I guess." Tatl said. "Geez, that kid really never stops, does he?"

The sock hat looked toward the green hat. "…no, not really."

* * *

Saturday, Day 2: 6:35AM (47 hours, 25 minutes remain)

"Ok, that's It!" Sarah exclaimed, slamming her door and walking outside. It wasn't common for her to be outside so early, especially on a three day vacation, but she had finally had it.

The red-head stomped all the way over to Jimmy's. She took a rock, and gave it a prompt thrust toward his window. "Jimmy, wake up!"

The rock bounced off the window and fell back down to the ground. Jimmy hadn't responded.

Sarah didn't hesitate to grab a much larger rock. "JIMMY!"

Jimmy, this time, did respond, with just enough time to watch the large rock flying at him. He gasped and hit the floor as the rock smashed through his window, sending noisy shards of glass in as well.

Sarah's anger subsided. "Oops." She murmured sheepishly.

The rather frightened and confused child slowly approached the window. "Sarah?"

"Jimmy! Get down here!" She called.

Jimmy walked out of his house a few minutes later, fully dressed. He walked over to Sarah, and in a frightened/angry voice, he shouted: "WHAT IS GOING ON?"

"I'm not allowed to go anywhere since Ed left!" Sarah said. "They don't want me to vanish too, just like he did overnight!"

"…wait, Ed is gone?" Jimmy asked.

"Yeah." Sarah said. "I think, either he left to find Double D, or he's plundering someone's kitchen a few miles away from here."

"Or maybe both." Jimmy added.

"Well, it's becoming annoying. With Ed gone, mom and dad aren't letting me do anything! I got to go get him and personally beat him to a pulp!"

Jimmy didn't seem too nervous now. This was quite usual in Sarah's behavior.

"Hey, what's the big idea?"

Kevin grabbed Sarah's shoulders and thrust her to the ground. "Why are you screamin' at 6 in the morning?"

Sarah, who was in no current mood to talk, made a counter flip and forced Kevin down on the ground as well. "Mind your own beeswax!"

Jimmy decided to talk instead. "Ed's missing."

Kevin growled. "Missing? So now Ed and Double D are gone?"

"Yeah." Sarah said.

"I'll bet dorky's behind it!" Kevin said.

"Hey guys!" Jonny shouted, running toward them. "Eddy's missing!"

"How do you know?" Kevin asked.

"I thought he might know where Plank was, so I checked, and I guess he's not home." Jonny said.

"Ok, so all three of the Eds are gone." Sarah said. "Big deal."

"Yeah, it's probably just a part of their dumb scam." Kevin said.

"Yeah, but they took your bike." Sarah said.

Kevin nodded. "Oh yeah. Man, just wait until I get my revenge on them for that!"

"Ok, your three are coming with me!" Sarah shouted. "Let's go find the Eds and pulverize them!"

"Where do you think they went?" Kevin asked.

"I have no clue!" Sarah shouted.

"Ok, let's get organized." Jimmy said. "I'll check the cul-de-sac, Sarah can check the lane, Jonny, you look around the playground, Kevin, you head to the woods."

* * *

Saturday, Day 2: 9:26AM (45 hours, 34 minutes remain)

"I got it!" Link said.

Both Tatl and Double D (he would have if he could) smiled upon hearing this.

"Great!" Double D exclaimed. "What is it?"

Link pointed toward a purple balloon, floating over the northern park of Clock Town. "Let's try to pop it with out new ability."

"…why?" Double D asked.

"Look at the painting on it." Link said.

Upon closer inspection, Double D discovered a small, poor-quality painting of the evil-looking mask that they had seen the skull kid wearing earlier. "Odd…"

_Snap…_

They had noticed a small snap of what appeared to be a small pachinko brushing against the balloon. It appears that the balloon wasn't Link's target alone.

There was a boy standing below the balloon. He was wearing a red bandana on his head, with a little of orange bangs sticking out from the front. His shirt was white with red stripes, with the number "1" on his back. The boy seemed a bit angry about something, because he had a blowgun and was rapidly firing at the balloon. He took a stop to gather his breath, and then reload the weapon.

Link, not really paying too much attention to the kid at the time, faced the balloon. "…ok, how do I do this? Focus…"

Link forced his hands forward, expecting some sort of power to emanate from his palms: instead, a small bubble shot from his snout (to Double D's surprise and intrigue). The bubble shot oddly fast, and smacked against the balloon. In a quick flash, it's entire round structure vanished, and there was a very loud popping sound.

Ed, whom had been sleeping under the tree nearby Eddy on the opposing end of the area, shouted in distress and sprung from his deep sleep and onto his feet.

"The bubbles!" Ed shouted. He rushed over to Eddy, and gave him a huge smack to wake him up.

Before eddy had the chance to regain consciousness, Ed shook him in a panic. "The bubbles are attacking! Run for your life!"

"…Ed-AHHHHH!"

Ed pulled eddy away from the site, rushing towards the east gate. "Run awaaaaaaaayyy!" he called, pulling a very unwilling Eddy behind.

Double D quickly turned around, but saw nobody there. "…odd… I could have sword that I heard Ed…" The Deku boy shrugged, dismissing it as a trick of the mind.

"YOU!"

The blowgun kid was standing in front of Double D, and Link. He was clearly younger then them, but their current bodies made it look as if this kid was a little older.

"Can we help you?" Double D asked.

The boy threw his blowgun to the ground in a fit and angrily pointed toward them both. "I was in the middle of something!"

"My sincerest apologies." Double D spoke in a rather nervous voice.

"You got a lot of nerve, interrupting official Bomber's Gang business." The kid stated.

Double D was a little intimidated by the name. "Bombers?"

"It's just the name of a gang of mischievous children playing games in town." Tatl scoffed.

"No, we're the Bombers, secret society of justice!" the kid said. "And my name is Jim, leader of the gang."

"Well, Jim," Double D began, "You see, we're in a bit of a predicament at the moment, and we're looking for something very important. But I swear, as soon as we find it, we'll do whatever it takes to make up for this-"

"Nice try." Jim said, unmoved by Double D's plight. "Look, you got to pay for the crime."

"Crime?" Tatl asked. "You're kidding me, right? I hardly call popping a balloon a crime!"

Jim took a breath. "Ok, look." He took out a children's style notebook. The cover was a plastic red, with a yellow paint of a bomb on it. He flipped to the first page. "Any damage to our property is equal to one day of gang service."

"One full day?" Tatl asked, dumbfounded. "Like we have the time for little games!"

"…what do we have to do?" Double D asked.

* * *

"Ed, ED! PUT ME DOWN!" Eddy shouted.

Ed, after running all the way to the northeastern area of town, finally dropped Eddy rather carelessly to the ground. He slammed to the ground, creating a small crater as he hit the stone ground. Though he was badly bruised, he instantaneously came back up, and gave a prompt whack to Ed.

Of course, Ed wouldn't do more then give a loud, oafish laugh.

Eddy looked around, observing his new surroundings. The first thing he noticed was an alleyway, and a considerably narrow one, one that only one person could walk in at a time. Blocking the front of the alleyway was a single child. He had an orange bandana on his head, and a white shirt with red sleeves.

"Hey look." Eddy said, reverting back to his conniving ways. "Let's go scam that kid."

Ed looked over toward the kid, and responded with a rather giddy laugh.

The two scheming Eds walked toward the boy. The child looked toward them and almost immediately felt uneasy. He began to take a step backwards into his little alley. Eddy approached him, giving him his cackling laugh.

"Uh… can I help you?" the child asked nervously.

"Hey kid, I'll let you in on a secret if you give me a quarter." Eddy said.

The kid was flinching a bit. "Who are you two? What's a quarter?"

Eddy sighed. "Oh right, we're in a different town. Well, just give me what you got, and I'll tell you a secret."

"I don't care." the kid said. "I have a post to man, please stop distracting me."

Eddy peered over the kid's head and into the dark tunnel. "Whatcha hidin'?"

"You can't get past here without the code." the child said.

Ed began to scratch his head. "What's a code?"

"Well, if you don't know it, then you can't come." the kid said.

There was a bit of thunder in the distance. The already-forming storm clouds were beginning to rain.

"You guys better go before the rain gets too strong outside. They're forecasting a big downpour on Clock Town by noon." The kid said.

"But we ain't got nowhere to go, kid." Eddy said. He cupped his hands to collect some rain, then poured it over his head. Making the most pathetic expression he could muster, Eddy sighed: "Won't you let me go in? I'll catch a cold…"

"Oh, allow me, Eddy!" Ed shouted. He took of his jacket, and forced it on Eddy. Though the stench of the old thing alone made Eddy force it off himself.

"Sorry, but I can't let you into the hideout." the child insisted.

"Alright, alright." Eddy said. "But I guess I'll just have to tell you the secret…"

The kid looked up. "…oh?"

Eddy snickered, and brought the child aside. As he whispered something incoherent into his ear, he had drawn the child attention away from the alleyway.

Ed, throughout the while, as he fixed his green jacket back on him, peered to his right. He wasn't sure if it was real or not, but he caught sight of a small boy watching him from behind a building. He had a purple shirt and pants, with darker purple curly designs on his shirt, leading down to his brown boots. His sleeves were white with the same purple designs. Around his neck was a pennant, with blue and gold designs that looked similar to an insect. A curious thing to not about this boy, was that he was wearing an odd mask. It was a yellow mask. On the top were two novelty ears that looked like ears on fox. It had black, closed eyes, and a pointed nose. The mask looked very similar to that of a cartoonish fox. Behind the mask was long, purple hair that had a nice shine which was noticeable in the sun's rays. The boy was about as tall as Double D would be in his human form.

"Eddy, there's-"

But Eddy had waited for too long. He pointed toward the now-unguarded alleyway, demanding he would go down while Eddy was distracting the child. Ed instantly forgot about the masked boy, and rushed down the alleyway.

"…what do you mean, there's a monster in town?" the kid asked Eddy.

"Oh yeah, a big, huge, nasty beast, who liked to eat kids!" Eddy said, trying to act like a typical monster. Eddy gave a over-dramatized gasp and pointed toward the Clock Tower. "LOOK! THE MONSTER!"

The kid gasped and looked away. "WHERE?"

_"Sucker." _Eddy thought, before rushing behind his back and down into the passageway.

Though the boy with the mask also seized the opportunity as well. He sprinted at a much faster pace, rushing through the corridor well before the child finally turned around.

"I don't see any… uh…" The kid finally realized what was going on. He looked down the passage way, just in time to see their shadows and hear their footsteps fading away. "…uh oh."

The child instantly began to panic. He took a deep breath, then at the top of his lungs shouted: "JIIIIIIIIIIIIM!"

* * *

Saturday, Day 2: 9:45 AM (45 hours, 15 minutes remain)

Jim, along with all 5 of the other members of the Bombers Gang were at the scene. The other 4 kids all looked identical, so numbers on the back of their shirts (from 2 to 5) indemnified them. Jim had forced Double D, Link, and Tatl to join him. By now, the storm had increased, and rain was pouring on them stronger then before. Oddly enough, the rain felt rejuvenating to the two Deku.

"What the heck happened?" Jim asked the child guard.

"…I'm so sorry." the kid said. "They tricked me."

"Who were they?" Jim asked in a stern voice.

"They didn't say. Oh! But one of them was a short kid with a grating voice and three hairs on his head. The other was a big dumb oaf with a smelly jacket! Thos two jerks… they conned me, the scammed me!"

"Eddy and Ed!" Double D exclaimed. "I knew they would come here to look for me!"

The gang all looked toward sock-hat.

"So he admits it!" Jim shouted, pointing at him accusingly. "These two guys, named Eddy and Ed, are his accomplices! They plan to wreck our gang by infiltrating our hideout and popping out practice balloons!"

"The fiends!" one of the kids, with a number 5 on the back of their shirt shouted.

"No, no, it's not that!" Double D shouted. "I promise, this whole thing was just one big misunderstanding!"

"We'll see that for ourselves when we go down there and get him." Jim said. "I want our guard to stay at his post, and guard it _better_."

The child looked down in shame.

"The rest of you, you're coming with me. We're going to go find those two offenders!" Jim shouted.

The other 4 children all saluted Jim. "Hai!"

Jim turned toward Edd, Link, and Tatl. "You three! As punishment for your crime earlier, you're going to act as our body guards. You'll deal with any obstacles, criminals, or anything for us."

"…what?" Double D asked.

Link only nodded. "Alright."

Edd wasn't in the mood to head down into a rather dark passage way, though with any luck, he could reunite with his two friends down there. He already had quite a few questions prepared for the two of them.

"C'mon, you two." Jim said, giving them both a nudge. Link and Double D led the way down a ramp, and into the passageway, being followed behind by the Bomber's gang.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **_So that's that. For those of you who know the game, I am well aware of the fact that I skipped the hide and seek event. Quite frankly, that part of the game was kind of boring for me, so I added this twist to give the characters alternate means of getting into the passageway. Anyway, I have no idea when I'll get the next one done, but it won't be too long, I hope. In the meantime, I'd appreciate it if you review!_


	6. Chapter 6: Astral Observatory

**Author's Notes: **_Ah, how long has it been? Too long, basically. It's admittedly not too long, nor did I really get as much done as I had wanted too. Still, I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!_

Chapter 6: Astral Observatory

Saturday, Day 2: 10:00 AM (45 hours, 0 minutes remain)

The small group descended down the stone ramp, into a narrow passage way which brought them into sheer darkness. There was an eerie feeling as they proceeded further down the walkway. They could hear the sound of the breeze making an echoing sound against the narrow walls, and somewhere deeper inside, the sound of water dripping into a puddle.

"…I don't like this one bit…" Tatl seemed unnerved.

"Relax, you two." Jim spoke. "It's a very hidden place. Not even the monsters know about it."

"M-monsters?" Double D asked. Since he arrived upon Termina, he knew that the same physics and philosophies may not apply here. Back on his own, there were indeed no such things as monsters… but in a new world, who knows?

"We're just here to look for some intruders." No. 3 added. "After that, you three are free to leave."

"But not any sooner." Jim replied with an annoyed voice.

The further they trekked downwards, the more light they saw. There was a very dim red light coming from the end of the narrow ramp. Link was leading the way down, until he finally came to the bottom the of decline.

They had reached a larger chamber, the walls, ceilings, and floors constructed of stone. A few feet in front of them stood a single lit torch, and a bit further beyond was a body of water, with a few more platforms leading into the water. Anything beyond that was shrouded in darkness. There were a few drops of water that fell from the ceiling and into the pool of water. This chamber had a very old feel to it, perhaps as old as 150 years, judging by the dust and weathered look on the walls.

"…this is your hideout?" Double D asked with distaste.

Jim nodded.

The sock-hat grimaced. "This is a sewer."

"Actually, this is an underwater river." Tatl said.  
Look into the water."

Double D walked toward the edge of the water and peered down. He could see a few fish swimming in the clear, aquatic container, swimming along with the slight current of the water. He peered to the left, and saw the river running underneath a gate, and into pure darkness, making it truly impossible to see where it would flow. By estimation, this was the same river that powered the clock tower.

"Hey, hey!" Jim shouted. "This is no time for sight seeing. Get a move on."

* * *

"Well, this is stupid!" Eddy shouted.

He and Ed had advanced much further into the hideout, and reached tall chamber, which was about two stories tall. It was completely vacant, aside from a single ladder. Whatever it lead to was blocked by a large balloon, one with a drawing on an eerie looking mask on it. The room was dimly illuminated by two torches,

"Ooo!" Ed shouted, jumping up and down. "Look, Eddy!" he pointed toward the balloon.

"Ed, will you just drop it?" Eddy asked. "We obviously came all this way for jack squat. C'mon Ed, let's get out of here."

"Hold on one second there, bucko." Ed said. "Lookie, the balloon's blocking the path!"

"Ed, I already said-" Eddy stopped himself and peered ahead. "…Ed, you're right. There's something behind that ugly thing!"

"See? I _do_ got an eye." Ed said, with a rather victorious expression. "So, we're gonna pop it?"

"You kiddin'? Eddy asked. "I love popping balloons!"

"How're you gonna pop it?" Ed asked.

Eddy gave a smirk. "I'll do it the way that my bro told me how. Watch this!"

* * *

There was a very loud explosion from within the hideout, causing everyone to look up. They could see a flash of light from somewhere deep within the passage, followed shortly by a distant laugh, heard only as an echo.

"That's it!" Jim shouted. "There they are!" He pointed to somewhere in the darkness ahead.

Double D put his wooden hand up to his ear and tried to get a good listen to the laugh. "…Eddy?"

"We're close, keep moving." Jim pressured, making them move forth.

They reached the underground river, at which point, all 5 of the Bomber's Gang halted.

"What's wrong?" Tatl asked.

"None of us can swim." Jim stated. "This is where the three of you will depart from us to explore deeper."

Double D looked into the area, beyond the point where the river faded into the darkness. "But we don't know the region. And if we get lost, that will be the end."

"Ok, fine." Jim groaned. "I'll go with you. One of you two Deku let me ride on your back through the water."

"I can do it." Link said. He helped the small child up on his back.

"I don't know how long we'll be gone." Jim said. "2-5, please go back to your posts."

"Aye!" They all said, turning around and going back toward the ramp.

"Ok, bodyguards." Jim stated. "Let's get a move on."

Link took a step toward the water, and tried to lower himself into it's depths. However, and to his surprise, the water acted just like a trampoline. Link was sent into the air, making him gasp and Jim exclaim: "Whoa!"

"Hurry, Link!" Double D shouted back. "You're able to bounce on water as a Deku, but I don't know how many bounces you can make before sinking in."

On the second bounce, Link jumped, sending himself toward a platform. He landed his feet on the platform safely, and let out a sigh of relief.

"You guys are monsters!" Jim shouted.

"I had no idea Deku could do that." Link said, in a bit of disbelief.

Double D followed shortly after, reaching the platform. "There's a lot of things we still don't know yet."

"How did you two not know that you could do that?" Jim asked. "Are you two stupid?"

The sock hat looked toward Jim with an annoyed look. "Long story."

After reaching the other side of the river, Link let Jim back down on the ground.

"…well, thank you for helping…" Jim said. "Now, you three. Keep on moving. We still have a ways to go before we reach the end."

The four of them proceeded further into the depths of the chambers. The sound of the wind still could be heard, making a ghostly echoing sound. By now, both Double D's and Link shoes, dripping wet, made tiny squeaks upon each step. They rounded a corner, and beheld a large, yet empty room, aside from a single ladder that lead upward and toward another path. Link, Double D, and Tatl kept walking, but Jim stopped and dropped his jaw in surprise.

Sock hat came to a stop. "What's wrong?"

Jim stuttered. "They… p-p-popped our blockade."

"Popped?" Tatl asked.

"We had a balloon blocking the pathway, but-"

"Are you stupid?" Tatl asked. "If you want to block something, you can't just use a balloon!"

Jimmy growled. "It's Bomber's Tradition!"

"Take it easy." Double D said, fixing his sock hat. "He's just a kid."

Jim growled. "Hey! You two are just kids too!"

Both of the Deku looked down.

"Look, this is the wrong time to be arguing." Tatl said. "Link, double D, let's hurry up and finish this annoyance so we can get back to trying to find the skull kid."

Link nodded, and began to climb up the ladder, followed by Double D and Tatl.

"Skull kid?" Jim asked. "You guys know… hey! Wait for me!"

Jim proceeded up the steps of the ladder in haste. As the last child exited the room, another shadow appeared. It was that of a small boy with purple hair and the yellow mask. He walked out from his hiding spot behind a corner. He peered up the ladder, watching the others running down the corridor.

Behind the mask, his eyes narrowed. "Curious…"

* * *

Saturday, Day 2: 12:00 PM (43 hours, 0 minutes remain)

The four of them slowed down as they reached the end of the long corridor. There was a warm light illuminating from the end of the passageway. Unlike the other torches, this light seemed to be more of an artificial light, similar to the kind given off by a light bulb.

"What's this?" Double D asked.

The four of them had reached the end of the passageway. They were greeted to the sight of a room. This room had a wooden floor and had some crates and vases lying about. A Terminian styled clock was hanging on the wall, and nearby, there was a black globe sitting on the top of a table. The floor was littered with random papers. This chamber was lit up by a few lights hanging around the chamber. To the side, there were a total of three fold-up beds, and to the adjacent side, there was a set of stairs, with blue colored rails, leading upward to another chamber, with more light steaming from above. All in all, this room had the same feel of the basement of a house.

Aroused with curiosity, the sock hat walked a bit further in, and picked up a sheet of paper. "…odd. These look like star charts. But the formation of stars looks like nothing I have ever seen."

"We're at the Observatory." Jim said. "We of the Bombers gang use this room for meeting places."

"Do you live here?" Tatl asked.

Jim frowned. "…well-"

"Oh… what unfamiliar faces." a quivering voice stated.

The four turned, and saw an old man descending the staircase. He was dressed in a blue robe , holding both of his arms behind his back. He also had long gray hair and a mustache, completed with a blue hat. He seemed to be hunched over as well as he walked around.

"Oh, hello." Jim said.

"James?" the old man asked. "You're home early."

"It's Jim." Jim stated angrily.

"And you have brought friends?" the old man asked.

"Hardly!" Jim shouted. "These three just owe me! We're here because we heard someone snuck in here!"

The old man gave questioning expression. "…no, I didn't see anyone come in here."

"…weird." Jim said.

"Maybe we took a wrong turn?" Double D asked.

"No, don't be stupid! There's only one pathway, this is the only place they could have gone." Jim said.

"They probably got lost in that dark place." Double D said.

"How can you get lost if there's only one path?" Link asked.

* * *

"Ed!" Eddy shouted. "I knew letting you lead was a stupid idea! You got us lost!"

Eddy and Ed were lost back in the dim tunnels.

"Leave it to an idiot to get us lost on one path." Eddy groaned.

Ed gave a sob. "I'm sorry, Eddy."

"Oh, just be quiet already." Eddy shouted. "There's obviously nothing cool in here. Let's just get out of here and get back to scamming the people back in that weird town."

* * *

"Anyway, now that you are here, welcome to the Astral Observatory." the old man stated. "I'm it's owner and sole astronomer."

"Good day." Double D said. "I'm Eddward, though you may call me Double D."

"My name is Link." the green-hat one said. "I fair from Hyrule."

The fairy flew toward them. "I'm-"

"Hello, Tatl." the old man smiled.

The fairy floated curiously toward the old man. "You know me?"

"A pale white fairy? How many of those even exist in Termina? I heard you were with a little one known as the skull kid. That monster was here earlier."

"Really?" Link asked.

"Yes…" the old man said. "He was of a horrible kind."

"I knew it!" Jim shouted, placing his right first in his left palm. "I can't believe I ever thought of letting him join!"

"Well, James." the old man said. "Now that you and these three are home, why not let them stay for a bit? They look so tried and hungry."

"But they can't rest!" Jim shouted. "Not while they're still indebted to me!"

"Hush now, James!" the old man shouted. "It's not against Bomber's Policy to feed your members. It's been a while, but I still remember the rules of the gang. It helps people 24 hours a day. Doesn't that apply to feeding them if they are hungry?"

Jim growled. "Fine, old man."

After a few minutes, the old man came down the stairs and into the room with a table with 4 bowls of food.

"I'm not the best of a cook. But still, I do hope you enjoy it." the man said.

They had sat down on the crates and beds in the room.

"Oh, but first…" the old man said, walking toward the entrance to the corridor that lead into the dark hideout chamber. He took a side of the wall, and with a simple tug, pulled a sliding door and shut away the corridor. "Yes, that area always did have an eerie feel to it. That's much better."

The old man walked around the room. "So then, Deku boys. How did you end up being indebted to James?"

Double D sighed. "It's a long story, but by accident, we popped the balloon he was using for target practice."

The old man laughed. "That's all? Oh, James, you silly little boy. You overacted? As a leader, that's not a good choice."

Jim looked down and folded his arms. "As a leader, aren't I also able to do whatever I want?"

"That's no good." the old man sighed. "You do what's right, not what you want."

Jim said nothing and sat still, looking down.

"So, are you Jim's grandfather or something?" Link asked.

"No." the man said. "Jim doesn't really have family around Clock Town. I was entrusted with him by his father before they left."

Double D glanced toward Jim. "Oh…"

"So, Deku children… Are you interested in astronomy?"

Double D nodded. "But of course. I read about it sometimes during my spare time."

"Our stars are quite unique." the man said. "They existed above us since the beginning of history. They have quite the story to tell."

Double D glanced at the black globe on a nearby table. He walked slowly toward it. Due to his small form, he had to stand on his toes to take a good look at it. As he peered upon the map, he spotted only one form of landmass on it. It was labeled with a strange writing, terminian text that was impossible to decipher.

_"How strange… this globe depicts a world with only one land mass…reminiscent of Pangaea."_

"That's the globe map of Termina." the old man explained. "We are here, very close to it's western coastal line. To the north, there are mountains, to the south, the swamp, and to the east, a canyon. Those areas define the geography of Termina."

Double D looked at the man. "Do you have any other maps besides this globe?"

"No, I apologize." the man said. "I chart the skies, not the world."

"That's alright." Double D stated. "But… this is an observatory, if I'm not mistaken. Do you have a telescope?"

"Oh yes." the man said. "After you children finish eating, please feel free to join me upstairs."

He got up and slowly walked back toward the stairs. "You can join me for bit of stargazing."

"This is a waste of time!" Tatl shouted as the old man walked back up the stairs. "We have to go and find the skull kid."

"Listen, you three, you can't leave, you're still under my leadership.." Jim said. "Besides, I want you to leave the skull kid alone… he's mine to deal with."

"Hm?" Tatl asked.

Jim had a serious expression. "He'll pay for his misdeeds."

* * *

Saturday, Day 2: 5:10 PM (36 hours, 50 minutes remain)

"Wake up!" Jim shouted, shaking Double D.

It had been a few hours after they had finished their lunch, and afterwards, the two had drifted off into a rest on the beds of the cellar. That is, until Jim woke them up abruptly.

Double D gasped. "Oh dear, what time is it?"

"Almost dusk." Jim said. "C'mon, get up. The old man wants to see you three on the observation floor."

Link and Double D brushed themselves and got out of the beds. They still seemed a bit tired, after getting only 5 hours of sleep.

"Please, Dekus!" the old man's voice called from upstairs. "Please come up!"

Sock hat and Green hat exchanged shrugs, as they walked toward the staircase, with Jim and Tatl in tow.

At the top of the staircase was an amazing spectacle. The ceiling was almost three stories tall, and the entire room was shaped like a dome. The walls themselves seemed to be projecting lights that gave a purplish glowing, illuminating the chamber with a mysterious glow. In the center of the room was an enormous telescope, as tall as all three floors of the room were. There was a single door leading outside as well. Peering into it's small eyepiece was the old man, who was giving a worried expression as he peered through the hole.

"What's going on, Mr. Astronomer?" Tatl asked.

"Please!" the man shouted. "Come quickly, you both must see this!"

Link went ahead of the others, and peered into the glass of the telescope. The first thing he spotted was the horizon, the still-cloudy sky accompanied by the sun setting over the western horizon. Signs of birds could be seen in the sky too. As Link lowered the view of the telescope, he saw the town, most of it farther away, and surrounded by one large wall. He assumed that the observatory was on the outskirts of the town, as he saw a distinct amount of field between the town and the observatory walls.

"…I don't get it." Link said. "Where's the problem? I don't see what I need to be worried about."

Double D, Tatl, and Jim were all peering over Link's shoulder.

"Look near the town itself. Adjust the telescope towards the Clock Tower." the old man said.

Link turned the telescope and positioned it toward the tower. He could see a figure standing on it's rotating roof.

"Hm? Is that a carpenter" Link asked.

"Oh, sorry." the old man said. "Let me help…"

He walked over toward the telescope, and adjusted a few knobs on it's side. The enormous machine began to make creaking sounds, as it's gears turned to make it zoom in and focus. After a few moments, Link was left starring into a familiar face.

"Whoa!" Link shouted.

"What, what is it?" Double D asked.

"It's… the Skull kid! He's standing at the top of the Clock Tower!"

* * *

**Author's Notes: **_That's about it for now. I wanted to work a bit more on Jim's character, which is why I had him follow the others to the Observatory. On a side note, the next chapter will have more twists and whatnot, so I'll give a little something for others to look forward too. Please review whilst I prepare the next piece!_


	7. Chapter 7: Skulltula of the Hideout

**Author's Notes: **_I know it has been a very long time since I updated this chapter, and I apologize for this. I have decided to update two of my lesser-known fanfics, one of them being this one. I had this one planned out for a while, though only had the time to actually write it today. So, I hope you all enjoy this next chapter!_

Chapter 7: Skulltula of the Hideout

Saturday, Day 2: 5:20 PM (36 hours, 40 minutes remain)

Standing atop the spiraling roof of the mysterious time-telling tower was the Skull Kid, staring right toward them. In spite of the fact that the observatory was quite a ways from the tower, the Skull Kid seemed fully aware of the fact that he was being watched.

"I think it sees us." Link said, trying to focus the telescope.

Double D and Jim both took a few steps away from the telescope.

"It?" Tatl asked.

The Skull Kid looked back at Link, for a few moments, letting their eyes meet with one another, watching the other with a sort of curiosity.

Then, the masked mischief maker turned his direction of attention upward.

"What is it?" the old man asked.

Link turned the lens to follow the Skull Kid's gaze upward. As it reached the correct altitude, he was left starring face to face with the Moon's insidious face. The hero's dauntless gave a harsh stare into the red eyes of the moon.

"Hm…" Link sighed as he looked at it.

It was about then that he could see something sparkle. Something was rushing in the air, whistling as it did so. A red comet could be seen flying from the moon's eye, flying toward the telescope.

"Incoming." Link said.

A large explosion sound went off at about that point. Everyone in the observatory shook violently, unrelentlessly throwing everyone and every unfixed object from it's spot.

"What's going on?" Jim asked in a worry.

"I think it was a meteorite." Link said.

"Has the moon already started to fall!" Double D shouted in fear.

It was about then that the shaking halted. Slowly, everyone began to get back up.

Jim, however, was the first one back on his feet. He ran over to the old man to try and help him up.

"Oh, thank you child." the man said.

"Are you hurt?" Jim asked, worried.

"No no, I'm fine." he said. He got back up and looked around his damaged observatory. "This is no good."

Double D and Link got up, as Tatl flew back and forth around them. "How weird…" Link said.

"I'm sorry to ask this from you, but would you go and check outside to see what happened?" the old man said.

"…is it safe?" Double D asked.

"Oh come on." Tatl moaned.

Link and the fairy proceeded toward a nearby door. Double D, though hesitant at first, sighed and followed them.

Upon opening the door, they were greeted first of all by a very dusk atmosphere. The sun could be seen visibly setting over the western ocean to the distance. Small flocks of birds flew from the south, making a turn around the city. It appeared as though the lights in Clock Town were all turning on to greet the night, and a pleasant calming sunset breeze combed through the grassy fields.

Standing on the Observatory's balcony, they could see the fields that surrounded the city. Clock Town had a large wall that blocked it from the fields, and they could see gates in the walls that would lead out of the city from there. The field also had a circular shape, and seemed to divide off into multiple paths in the main compass directions: North, South, East, and West.

"If I have anything to say about Termina so far, it's that the geography is disturbingly well-organized." Double D remarked upon seeing it. He wanted to explore more of it, but a tall fence (tall compared to his Deku stature) made it impossible to leave the balcony.

Tatl did a quick spin. "Well, I don't see anything too-"

She stopped herself when she saw what lay a few feet away from the door.

On the left side of the balcony, the ground was pounded inward, creating a small crater. In the center of the crater was a strange stone. It was cerulean blue in color, and it's shape was that of a tear.

"…what in the world?" Double D asked.

* * *

Sunday, Day 2: 2:30 AM (27 hours, 3 minutes remain)

"….aaaaaaaahhhhhh…" Eddy moaned. "I'm hungry, tried, bored, and broke. It's official, I'm gonna die."

Eddy and Ed had been stuck in the same passageway as they had entered nearly a ago.

"Eddy, I'm bored…" Ed said.

"This is stupid!" Eddy shouted. "There's only one pathway! How did we get lost! It's a hallway, how do you get lost in one!!"

"…… huh? We're lost?" Ed asked.

"ARGHH!" Eddy was ready to attack Ed. The short Ed attempted to jump Ed, but an oblivious tilt of the head caused Eddy to miss and fall into a nearby pool of water.

"That was fun!" Ed shouted.

Eddy slowly began to climb out of the pool of water, soaking wet and clearly agitated. "Why you-"

"Oh!" Ed shouted, crouching down. He picked up Eddy's Blast Mask, which had fallen out after he fell in the water. "You almost forgot your hat!"

Ed grabbed the mask and quickly forced it on his face.

"Ed, get it off me!" Eddy shouted. He tried to tug at it, but it refused to come off his face.

"Of all the stupid things!" he shouted.

Ed noticed that Eddy was tugging and thrashing at the mask in an angry attempt to take it off. He noticed that the shortest of the Eds had been tugging at some of the threads that held the mask together.

"Hey, do you hear something?" Ed asked.

Eddy silenced himself, and surely enough, he could hear a sort of hissing sound. Like a sparkler, or a burning fuse.

"Uh, Ed, what is that?" Eddy asked.

"I dunno." Ed replied.

Eddy's eyes slowly opened wider. "…there's a hissing sound… and I'm wearing the Bomb Mask… Ed, get it off of me!"

"Huh?" Ed asked.

"GET IT OFF!"

Ed suddenly rose his hand and gave Eddy a harsh slap across the face, causing the mask to fall off his face and onto the ground.

"Hit the deck!" Eddy shouted.

With a sudden flash, the mask ignited, causing a rumble and an explosion.

The blast threw the two Eds backwards and into the water.

* * *

Double D shot up from his makeshift bed. Link and Tatl almost did it around the same time.

"Did you hear something?" Double D asked.

Link and Double D looked around, then towards each other.

"Nah." they both said in unison.

Though it was rather nice that the Astronomer allowed them to spend the night, it was a tad odd as well. Here he was, sleeping in the cellar of an observatory, nearby his new "roommates", Link the swordsman, Tatl the fairy, and Jim, the gang leader. The astronomer hadn't joined them, instead he was upstairs, analyzing the blue meteorite that fell down before. He had wanted to help him analyze the rock, but he had simply grown too tired to help with the cause.

The sock hat Deku boy placed his hands behind his head, and before he would even realize it, he would return to a deep sleep.

* * *

Sunday, Day 3: 6:00 AM (24 hours remain)

The booming ring of the clock tower marked the beginning of the final day.

The sock hat Deku boy shook a bit in unease. He realized that at this exact moment the next day, the world would be destroyed.

Link was just waking up, Jim doing so as well. Double D was fully awake though, and he had been for a little. With what little time he had, he was working on his essay. He had to stand on his toes on a chair to comfortably reach the top of the desk he was writing on.

He placed his pencil on the desk, looking upon what he was written so far.

_"I did manage to bring all of my school supplies with me after all."_ he thought. _"I suppose every cloud does have a silver lining after all."_

"Boys, are you awake?" asked the astronomer.

"Yeah." Jim said on behalf of everyone.

"I have finished analyzing the stone that fell from the moon yesterday." he said.

"So, what is it, and how valuable is it?" Tatl asked.

"This is called a Moon's Tear." the old man said. "They form around the same section of the moon, the section that appears to be the eye. Minerals form, as a seemingly unexplainable reaction of the lunar rocks on a molecular scale."

Double D nodded, whilst everyone else gave him puzzled expressions.

"When the minerals combine, they form another reaction, causing a small combustion that causes it to break free of the moon. And since it is so close to the ground at this point, it's attracted to the stronger gravitational pull and falls to the surface."

"…ok, so what's this about minerals again?" Jim asked, completely puzzled.

"Never mind." the astronomer sighed.

"So, how much is it worth?" Tatl asked.

"Absolutely nothing." the astronomer said.

"But it's a lunar rock, should it be rare?" the fairy asked.

"There is a giant piece of moon on it's way to Termina! If anyone lives to tell the tale, the rock will become so abundant that it won't be worth anything!" the astronomer said.

"Geez, calm down, old man!" Tatl shouted.

"Let's take it anyway." Double D said. "That skull kid person gave us this thing for one reason or another. Maybe it's important for something?"

"It may be the case." the astronomer said. "But you folks won't find out unless you return to Clock Town now, and find that kid before it's too late!"

"He's right." Link said. "Jim, Double D, Tatl, let's get back to the town."

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute here." Jim said. "What do I have anything to do with this?"

"Nothing." Link said. "But we will need to get you home, right?"

"…right. I'll get home and warn my gang to flee town." Jim said.

The astronomer opened the door that lead back into the underground passage. "Good luck, young ones."

Link walked in first, followed by the fairy, Double D in second, with Jim in the rear.

As they proceeded into the dark narrow pathway, the doors shut behind them, sealing away the observatory behind them.

Double D laughed as the doors shut again, in his awkward Deku-like laughter.

"What is it?" Jim asked.

"I'm sorry." he said. "I'm still just adjusting to all of this. It's just that three days ago, all of this would have sounded like complete madness to me… and yet now, it's become my own reality. It's still just amazing to take in all of this."

"Yeah, yeah." Tatl said. "We'll have more time to contemplate this thing after the moon has either been stopped or destroys the town."

"You're pushy, aren't you?" Double D asked.

"I'd prefer not to die in 24 hours." She said. "That's all."

Jim sighed. "Are we really going to…"

"No, we're not." Double D stated. "We'll stop this. I don't know how, but if we can find the Skull Kid, we'll stop it. That thing in the sky won't hit us."

"…you sure?" Jim asked.

"Positive. But in the meantime, Jim, you will have to get your friends, family, and everyone you know… and tell them to escape. It might get a little dangerous." Link stated.

Jim nodded. "Ok…"

They had descended the ladder, and proceeded past that room and back into the hallway, which led them to round a corner to their left.

Tatl suddenly gasped, and threw herself in front of the group.

"Watch out!!" She exclaimed.

Double D and Jim fell backwards. Something large had fallen from the ceiling of the underground hallway. It fell right before the group. T's form was hideous: It appeared at very first to be a large human skull, but a second look revealed that the skull was merely a strange design on the back of an enormous, 8-legged monster, hanging by a spider's web from the ceiling. It was making loud, scratching sounds, like bone rubbing against some kind of additional hard material. It's face seemed particularly sinister, by the dark chamber's red glowing of torches.

"…Oh, the humanity!" Double D shouted. "What is that monstrosity?!"

"Skulltula!" Tatl exclaimed. "Everyone stay back!"

The group slowly stepped backwards, looking at the monstrosity before them.

"It's blocking the hallway!" Double D shouted.

The creature hung, bobbing up and down on it's thread. The narrow hallway made sure that it perfectly blocked others from proceeding past it.

"What does it want?" Jim asked Double D.

"H-h-how… I don't know." he said simply.

The menacing creature began bobbing about on it's theater. Additional unsettling sounds of bone creaking sounded, echoing in the corridor. It swung backwards and forwards. Each swing caused the monster to inch closer and closer to the group.

"Isn't this your hideout?" Double D asked. "You didn't know about it?"

"This place is supposed to be safe!" Jim replied, hiding behind Link. "The Skull Kid's got to be behind this!"

Link groaned. "If I only had my regular form, I'd-"

"Forget it!" Tatl shouted to him. "We will have to think of an alternative way to pass it."

"In situations with spiders back in my world, bait sometimes works." Double D added.

"I say we give it that annoying fairy!" Jim pointed to Tatl.

"What?!" Tatl asked. "Why you- say something to him Link, at once!"

Link, however, said nothing. He even looked to be mentally considering the idea.

"LINK!" Tatl shouted.

He turned to Jim. "Yeah Jim, no bait."

"Sorry to interrupt this discussion gentlemen, but we're in a bit of a bind here!" Double D interjected.

The Skulltula had finally gained the proper momentum. It swung backwards, still secured to it's web. It then thrust itself at them. It's hard-body surface hit Jim, causing him to fall backwards.

"Argh!!" Jim shouted as he fell.

"Jim!" Double D exclaimed. "Are you alr-"

The next thing he knew, he too was struck on the next swing. He fell backwards, landing beside Jim. Since his body was now made of wood, he hadn't felt nearly as much pain as he thought that he would.

"This isn't working." Tatl said smugly.

"You're not helping!" Link shouted.

"I still support the bait plan." Jim moaned, on the ground.

"Why you-"

"Stop arguing!" Link shouted, dodging the Skulltula's next swing. "I have a plan!"

"A plan?" Double D asked. He was just finished get up, and had Jim propped on his back.

* * *

"Wahoo!!" Eddy shouted. He threw himself out of the exit and landed on the ground. "Sunlight!!"

"I love you, Mr. Sun!" Ed exclaimed.

Eddy fell on his back and laughed, starring up into the sky. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Never thought it'd be this good to see sunlight, eh lumpy?" Eddy asked.

"Um… Eddy?" Ed asked.

"Yeah, you lump?"

"Where's everyone?"

Eddy opened his eyes and looked around. He was lying in the eastern plaza, true enough. Yet there wasn't a person in sight. The wind had blown an old flier past them. Ed caught the flier, and smiled stupidly while reading it aloud.

"Come see the _The Indigo-Go's _live performance, at the eve of the Carnival of Time."

"Hey, wait a minute." Eddy said, narrowing his eyes. "Carnival of Time? Like, a _carnival _carnival?"

"I dunno." Ed said, now holding the flier upside down.

He looked around again. There wasn't a soul in sight. The entire plaza was silent. Just a day earlier, there was a racket, people talking and hammers nailing posters and structures for the carnival. Now there was silence. Various, incomplete towers and signs lay scattered about the area.

"Hello?" Eddy asked.

His voice was greeted only by his echo.

"Ed, we're alone." Eddy said.

Ed frowned. "Alone?"

Eddy nodded. His face remained still for seconds and then- "I say we take stuff, and bring it back to the cul-de-sac to sell for Jawbreakers!!"

"Eddy." Ed said.

"Ok, ok, fine!" Eddy growled. He threw his arms down in defeat. "We'll find Double D. And _then _we'll pillage!"

* * *

"Some plan." Jim moaned.

Double D, Jim, and Link all sat on the grounds of the hideout. They were all bound together by a large spider web.

"This is wrong on a number of levels." Double D said, shaking where he sat.

The Skulltula was still hanging over them fiercely. It looked to be preparing itself for a feast.

"So this is how it ends…" Double D said.

"So it seems." Tatl said.

All three of the captives looked up at the uncaptured, free fairy that floated above.

"HELP US!" They all shouted angrily at her.

"I can't, I'm just a fairy." she said.

"Please, so something! I can't even begin to describe how terrified I am right now! Oh the humanity!" Double D shouted.

"Get over yourself." Jim muttered.

The spider began to approach them now. It floated towards Double D first. It began to poke him with it's 8 legs.

"Arggh!!" the sock-hat Deku exclaimed. "Sooooo unsanitary!"

_CRUNCH_

Everyone's attention diverted. They all looked to the path in front of them, but saw nothing. Even the Skulltula seemed baffled.

"We have guests." Tatl thought aloud.

The spider growled. It severed the thread that connected it to the ceiling. Then, in disturbing-sounding movements, it began to crawl away from them, walking awkwardly into the passage ahead of them.

"What's it doing?" Jim asked.

Double D peered in the opposite direction of the spider. He then noticed a familiar sight. The masked boy, still wearing the yellow mask, with purple hair protruding from behind it, revealed himself from the shadows.

"It's you!" Double D shouted. "The boy at the laundry pool!"

The boy merely nodded.

"Who's tha-"

However, the masked boy silenced Jim. He placed his finger in front of where his mouth would be behind the mask, giving him the signal to be silent.

The boy then rushed up to the captives. He grabbed his pennant, and freed it from hanging from his neck. Using one of the sharp edges of the pennant, he sliced through Jim's restraints.

"Whoa…" Jim said, starring wide-eyed.

The boy rushed to Link next, freeing him free in seconds.

_"What is he…?" _Tatl thought.

The boy finally finished, freeing Double D from the web.

"Thank you." Double D said quietly.

The boy merely bowed at his response.

_CRUNCH!_

The four boys and the fairy turned around. The Skulltula had become wise to their plan. It loomed over them menacingly.

"We're all gonna die!" Jim shouted in a panic.

The boy, however, had had enough. He rushed ahead, and punched the spider. There was a loud, bone-crunching sound as the fist met the side of the spider. It flinched and shouted as he did it.

The boy pointed forth, beyond the spider, towards the exit.

Jim rushed ahead, with Tatl behind him.

Link and Double D remained standing there for a moment.

"But what about you?" Double D asked.

The boy ran at them and pushed them both away. The Skulltula was getting back on it's 8 legs at the same time, in a way that the two Dekus were pushed out of it's way in the neck of time.

They looked back once more. The masked boy and the monster were face-to-face, preparing for battle.

"We have to help!" Double D shouted.

"There's nothing we can do!" Link said.

The boy pointed towards the exit one more time, in a somewhat angry way.

"…run!" Double D shouted. He rushed ahead, with Link right behind him.

* * *

Sunday, Day 3: 12:00 PM (18 hours remain)

They group had since left the Bomber's Hideout. They had all rejoined in North Clock Town's park. It was almost entirely empty now. The town's guard, who was forced to stay by law, remained at the gate.

Double D and Link sat down, right next to the town's playground's side. Jim stood, poised atop the slide. The other 5 members of the Bombers sat down on the grass beside the slide.

"Ok, everyone. I called this special meeting of the Bombers Gang to order." Jim said, trying to sound like a judge.

"What's goin' on?" asked No. 2. 3-5 all muttered to themselves, while the Hideout's guard merely lilted his head.

"As you all know, this town is in danger." Jim said. He looked up, to notice that the moon was uncomfortably close.

"So, do we run?" No. 4 asked.

"Heck no!" Jim shouted. "Don't ya know? The skull kid is behind this!"

"Him?!" No. 3 asked. "The same guy who tried to join our club, but we rejected?"

"Yeah, that skull kid! He's causing trouble!" Jim shouted.

"So… what do we do?" asked the Hideout's guard.

"We stay and fight!" Jim shouted. He stood tall on the top of the slide, holding his fist in the air. " Heard that the moon's going to fall tonight! So all we got to do is find the Skull Kid, and make him pay!"

"The skull kid!" Tatl said. "Didn't the astronomer say he's on the top of the clock tower?"  
"Right." Jim said. "And as we all know, the roof's gate doesn't open until the carnival of time! Exactly midnight tonight!"

"Oh, I get it." Double D said in the background.

"So at midnight, the Bombers Gang will storm the tower!" Jim shouted. "We'll stop the kid and save the town!"

The group replied with exchanged cheers. Double D and Link got back up as they did.

"I'll need everyone's help." Jim said. "You three!" he gestured to the two Deku and the fairy. "For services to the group beyond the needs of your previous punishment, I name you guys honorary members!"

"Oh, why thank you.' Double D said.

"Here." Jim said. He jumped down the slide and landed at the end. As he landed, he held out a notebook.

"…what is it?" Link asked.

"It's a Bomber's Notebook." Jim said. "It's a log book only given to members of our group."

Double D took the book from Jim.

"Thank you." Double D said pleasantly. "I shall use it wisely."

"Ok, now that that's done…" Jim said. "No. 2-5, guard of the hideout, Link, Double D, and Tatl. Prepare yourselves for battle! We save the world tonight!"

"Hai!" replied the entire group.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **_Again, my apologies for the wait! I'm not entirely sure when this one will update again, though hopefully soon! Until then, I'd ask the readers for their reviews!_


	8. Chapter 8: The Carnival of Time

**Author's Notes: **_In what seems like an eternity, I finally managed to write another chapter for this one. I don't have one quite ready for Edventure II, but that's because I am slowly running out of inspiration for that project. I'll keep trying to come up with material for it, but… I really don't feel as motivated to do so. But hey, In the meantime, please enjoy what I have for you this time. A new chapter to a long-forgotten story!_

**Chapter 8: The Carnival of Time**

**Sunday, Day 3: 1:00 PM (17 hours remain)**

"Can we go home how?" Jimmy asked.

They had been searching the woods around the Cul-De-Sac for nearly a day now. Jimmy and Sarah were coated in dirt and dust from their very long hike around the woods.

"Yeah, this is stupid." Sarah said. "The Eds aren't worth the trouble."

"Maybe we should go get Rolf and Nazz to help?" Jimmy asked. "Why should those two get to lounge while we're walking around like this?"

"If you don't want to keep searching, go home." Kevin told them. "But I have a thing or two to say to those dorks for taking my bike."

"I won't leave." Johnny stated as well. "I won't leave my buddy Plank behind."

"Well, we're done." Sarah said. "C'mon Jimmy, time to go home."

"Ok, Sarah." Jimmy moaned. Sarah hoisted the little boy on her back, and walked in the opposite direction, away from Kevin and Johnny.

"We don't need them anyway." Kevin said. "C'mon, baldy."

"Right behind ya!" Johnny exclaimed, following Kevin faithfully.

* * *

**Sunday, Day 3: 5:30 PM (12 hours, 30 minutes remain)**

Most of the sounds in the city had died away. Throughout the entire day, the small group had only seen a fraction of the town's civilians. The only few people left in town were either too brave or completely unaware of the falling moon. The area around the city had been given an odd, disturbing red glow.

The children relocated themselves to East Clock Town. They all stood underneath a patio or sorts, nearby the entrance to a building.

Double D peered to the building's door. "The Stock Pot Inn?"

"C'mon." Jim said, walking towards the door.

The interior of the Inn was a nice, homely place. The lobby room seemed comfortable enough, with a couple of benches sitting to the right, and some decorative plants to the left. The desk in the lobby still had paperwork and unfinished tenant forms sitting to the side. There was a small lamp on the counter, giving a homely, comforting light.

"Hello?" Jim called out.

No answer. The Inn was completely deserted.

"Good, nobody's here." Jim said.

"Wait." Double D said. "Isn't this trespassing?"

"Nope." Jim said. "The staff completely abandoned the Inn. And what they gave up is up for grabs."

Jim pointed at No. 1-5 and the Hideout guard. "Men, the Stock Pot Inn is now our new hideout. I want a full search for resources. Nos. 1-3, raid the Inn for tools and supplies. Nos. 4 and 5, board up the windows and doors. And you, Hideout guard! **Get me a sandwich!"**

"Aye!" They all shouted, running to complete their tasks.

"It won't be long now, gentlemen." Jim told to Double D and Link, while trying to sound mature.

"Are you sure you're ok with staying in town?" Tatl asked.

"Definitely." Jim said. "It's our job to withhold justice, no matter what."

They could hear the sounds of planks being hammered against windows. The children were hard at work. With each plank against the windows came one more cover against the eerie atmosphere outside.

"_This won't protect the house though…" _Double D thought. _"That evil, celestial being will flatten this poor structure."_

"Done!" No. 4 and 5 stated, returning. "Our hideout is secured."

"Good work!" Jim said.

At about the time, the first 3 members also returned. They held all sorts of random items: a few plates and glasses from the kitchen, knives and forks from the dinning room. A few pillows and blankets from the Inn rooms, and a few pieces of paper from the manager's office.

"Ok, this will do." Jim said. "Begin assembling your weapons of choice. And come on, before the carnival starts!"

"What do you want us to do?" Link asked.

"Link!" Jim screamed, pointing at him dramatically. "Go and check the tower one more time. Tatl, follow Link. Double D, write an entry in your new notebook, so we can have a record for when our unidentifiable bodies are discover- I mean, for future generations."

Double D nervously shook his head. All the others continued to work.

"As for me…" Jim said. "…uh, where's my sandwich?"

* * *

**Sunday, Day 3: 6:00 PM (12 hours remain)**

The Clock Tower rang loudly. It was the last remaining sound in what had become a ghost town. As it completed it's 6th and final toll, Double D working on the last sentence of his journal entry.

"_Bomber's Notebook: Log: Sunday, Night of the Final Day. 12 Hours remain._

_The Bombers have given me their notebook, which I have decided to work on a log for. I've been a Deku for what feels like years now. Still getting used to this absurd environment. If it is indeed true, and if the moon truly is going to fall tomorrow morning, then this may very well be the last journal log of my life… oh my… it's best not to think too much about that for now, as opposed to thinking ahead, towards tonight's goal. Stop the moon, return to normal, and leave this odd dimension at once._

_At the command of Jim of the Bomber's gang, we are to invade the clock tower at midnight tonight. We know that the skull kid was seen there, and suspect it to be his hideout. I am not sure if we have a backup plan, in case the Skull Kid is absent from the tower, other then to flee the town. But granted the size of the moon and it's trajectory, I calculate that the distance that we can escape to in 6 hours will not be sufficient enough to escape the impact. In other words, it's do or die time._

_Writing what may very well be my last statement, this is Eddward from Peach Creek."_

The Inn was secured tightly now. Not tightly enough, though, since air still visible flowed through the cracks and doors.

"Ok, men." Jim said. He was standing behind the counter, with the others in the lobby. "We gathered here today on our dangerous and final mission. Stop the moon and save the town."

Jim signaled for his comrades to approach the countertop. He then reached down and pulled out 5 slingshots and 5 peashooters.

"This is all were have." Jim said. "You guys ready for this?"

The group nodded slowly.

"Double D, take over." Jim said.

"Uh, ok." Double D said. He approached the counter and put a large piece of paper on it.

"This is the map of this town, one we found upstairs." he began. "We are here, just a pebble's throw away from the base of the tower. We shall work our way onwards from here. The entrance to the roof is not connected to the clock tower's main chamber, so we will have to scale the wall of the tower to reach it. Then, we storm in, approaching the roof in due speed. I surmise then we will find the skull kid, whom we ambush. If he is not there, then we will initiate plan B, which will require all of us to vacate the town through the eastern gate. According to this map, there's this place called Ikana Canyon, with large mountains. If we can reach the mountains, they may be able to provide enough shield from the impact."

"Thanks." Jim said. "Ok, guys. Team 1 will consist of Me, Double D, Link, Tatl, and No. 2. Team 2, Nos 3-5 and the hideout guard will stay here and hold the fort. If team one does not return by 2am, team 2 will have the right to abandon town."

"Uh, ok." No. 3 stated.

"Very well then, everyone." Jim stated. He jumped on top of the counter. "Good luck, and head on out!"

* * *

**Sunday, Day 3: 8:37 PM (9 hours, 23 minutes remain)**

"What the- where the heck are we now?" asked a heavily annoyed short Eddy.

The two boys had arrived in West Clock Town. The entire street was void of anyone. All of the lights in the houses were off, leaving only the fundamental clockwork driven streetlights to burn.

"I'm starting to get freaked out." Eddy said. "This is such a big town, where the heck is everyone hiding?"

Eddy reached into his pockets, and took out the same, dangerous mask that he had gotten two nights ago.

"That stupid old lady fleeced me! Who wants to wear this? It'll kill you!" Eddy shouted.

"Lemme see that, Eddy!" cried his oaf of a friend.

"Knock yourself out." Eddy said, throwing him the mask.

"Oh, goodie goodie!" he exclaimed.

"Whoa, buddy." came another voice.

Eddy turned around, though Ed was too occupied to notice. Behind him was a single man, wearing all green and had long, brown hair.

"Who the heck are you supposed to be?" Eddy asked.

"My friends, let me just say that you got guts." he spoke.

Eddy noticed that the man had a suitcase, and was preparing a small, ragged hat.

"And you are…?" Eddy asked.

"Clock Town's number one Banker! If you got cash, we'll secure it! …or rather, that was our policy."

"Where is everyone going?" Eddy asked.

"Don't tell me that you don't know." the Banker said. "The entire town is going to be doomed tomorrow at 6 in the morning."

"…doomed?" Eddy asked.

"DOOMED!!" Ed repeatedly shouted.

"I have no choice either, kid." the Banker said. "I'm closing the bank and leaving for good. I haven't emptied all the vaults yet either, but I have no choice."

He jumped over his counter and began to walk towards the door.

"Geez, you're not going to go either?" the Banker asked.

"Will somebody tell me what's going on?" Eddy asked.

"DOOMED!" Ed echoed.

"Sorry kid, I don't have time to fully explain. Believe me, just run far away!"

"What about your bank?" Eddy called out to the running banker.

"I quit! Do anything you want to do with it, I want to liiiive!" he exclaimed, running away, and through the town's western gate.

Eddy chuckled, rubbing his two hands together. "Anything?"

Ed suddenly grabbed Eddy, and threw him against a wall rather violently. "Eddy, didn't you hear him? DOOMED!!"

"Ed, lemme go!" Eddy shouted. His friend released him, rather abruptly, forcing him to fall down.

Of course, Eddy decided to ignore this. Ed had a sort of way where any sort of attack would result in deflected pain on Eddy's part.

Eddy instead chose to go to the bank's counter. He lunged over the edge.

"Eddy, isn't that not a nice thing for you to be doing?" Ed asked.

"That guy said everything here was ours now, didn't he?" Eddy asked He reached down, and picked up a silver rupee, holding it's shiny surface right at Ed's face.

"Are you sure this is bad, Ed? I mean, look, it's so shiny!" Eddy taunted.

Ed's eyes went aglow. "S-shiny!"

Eddy laughed, and moved the rupee left and right, as Ed's gaze followed the shiny gem.

"Let's clean this place out and get going!" Eddy shouted.

"Excuse me, sirs." said a voice.

They both turned around, to spot a strange, bald-looking man. He was wearing sunglasses, and had a small, moustache. He seemed to be wearing white pants, with a brown vest and blue undershirt. This man also appeared to have a couple of suitcases on his hand.

"Ahh!" Eddy shouted. "We've been caught!"

"Bah, I don't care about that." the man said. "In fact, I got to tell you both, you're brave for staying here to the end."

"The end of what?" Eddy asked.

The man just starred blankly. "Maybe it's better if you two didn't know. Either way, I'm leaving town. I highly doubt that we will ever see each other ever again."

"And just who the heck are you?" Eddy asked.

"I am the owner of the Curiosity Shop. I sell all sorts of exotic goods from around the world." he said.

"Good for you." Eddy said, uninterested.

"I must go now. Things like Money no longer interest me." the shop owner suddenly thrust one of his suitcases at Ed.

"Oh! A present!!" Ed shouted in glee.

"Take it." the owner said. "I could use all the Karma I can get."

"Whee, a present!" Ed shouted. He thrust open the suitcase, and starred. Inside of it, was a black mask. It looked quite strange, as it appeared to have constricting laces on it that could over the entire front of a person's face. It also had eyes on it, that looked like two, wide open red eyes, that stared endlessly forward.

Ed rose the mask over his head, and hummed a quick victory-like tune.

"Ed… what are you doing?" Eddy asked.

"That's the All-Night's mask. It's a very special kind of mask, with a special ability." the man said.

"It's not going to explode, is it?" Eddy asked, sounding concerned.

"No, only a Mask called the Blast Mask does that." the man said. "A rare mask that sells for millions."

Eddy's eyes changed to dollar signs. He laughed and practically bounced off the ground, and over the counter.

"He can even be happy now." the shop owner said. "What a trooper."

"So, what kind of abilities does this mask-o-mine have?" Ed asked.

"I wish I had time to explain it to you." the man said. "But I need to abandon town; now."

"Whatever, pal!" Eddy shouted.

The man nodded, and proceeded towards the exit. "We will never see each other again. Take care of that mask… and good luck."

Eddy ignored him as the man sprinted away, past the gate and out of the town's boundaries. He laughed his usual snickering, as he took the Blast Mask back from Ed, and held it in his hands.

"Ed, did you hear that! Millions! If I sell this mask, I'll be RICH! Swimming in mula, stuffing my face with Jawbreakers until I die!" Eddy shouted.

Ed ignored him, and placed his new All-Night's Mask on. "Oooooo!" Ed commented, in a state of bliss.

"C'mon Ed, we got to get going right now!" Eddy shouted.

"Where?"

"To that creepy mask salesmen guy we met in the clock tower! Maybe we can sell the mask to him!" Eddy shouted.

* * *

**Sunday, Day 3: 11:59 PM (6 hours, 1 minute remain)**

The Bomber's Gang, Team 1, arrived at the base of the Clock Tower. It was eerily quiet, except for the crickets. The town Plaza's area was decorated and constructed, after days of work, to look just like a place for festivities. The only odd thing about it was that there wasn't a person to be seen.

"This is a little unsettling." Jim said.

"Y-y-yeah." No. 2 said nervously. "Why am I here again?"

"Because we'll need all the backup we can get." Jim said. "And if we get killed, you need to run to the Inn and tell the rest of the guys to get out of town."

"That's kinda morbid, sir." he replied.

"The carnival starts in a minute." Tatl said. "As soon as the clock hits 12, we're going to have the fight of our lives."

"Yeah…" Double D said, in his little worried Deku voice.

"Do… do you really think we're going to die?" Link asked Jim.

"I have no idea." Jim said.

"You're really brave, sir." No. 2 complimented.

"There's no choice. Someone's going down, and it's either him or all of us."

"True, sir."

Jim moaned. "Stop calling me sir!"

"Yes, sir."

Double D looked down. "It'll be Monday in one minute."

The group turned to his attention.

"I wonder…" he began. "If we beat that skull kid and do something about the moon, and I become normal again, if I can make it back to school before 6 am."

The group collectively groaned.

"You're weird." Jim stated.

DING DONG!

The clock tower sudden blared a loud ring as the clock hit midnight. Fireworks shot from the center of the plaza, lighting up the sky in an array of colors as the carnival began.

"Wow!" Double D exclaimed.

"It happens every year." Jim said. "It's normally awesome…"

At the exact same time, two bumbling kids wandered into South Clock Town from the southwest gate.

"Hey, there's the clock tower!" Ed shouted, still masked.

"Cool!" Eddy shouted. He put on his Blast Mask (the fuse was now coated in tape). "C'mon Ed, time to finally get rich!"

The tower began to react, too. The entire top half of the tower, including the faces of the clocks, began to rise into the air. As they rose, the southern face moved out of the way of a large doorway. After a few moments, the faces of the clocks stopped rising upwards. Then, in an even stranger kind of movement, the clock's entire top half tilted northward. It fell all the way into a 90 degree angle before coming to a jolt, and stop. Now, the southern face of the clock was the roof, perched high above Clock Town, directly underneath the falling moon, which was coming closer by the second.

"…..wow." Double D said in astonishment.

"Well, no time to gaze!" Jim shouted. "Let's get up there!"

Link was already ahead of them though, with Tatl flying right at his side.

"Wait!" Double D called, following directly behind.

"There they go…" No. 2 stated. "Brave souls."

Jim peered to his left and noticed that No. 2 was tip-toeing away. He grabbed No 2's arm and pulled him through the doorway.

"Noooooo!!" No. 2 called as he flew through the door and into the tower.

Ed pointed upwards, to the tower's newly exposed door. He managed to spot someone running inside.

"Eddy, look!" he shouted, pointing at the tower. Eddy was just in time to see a figure rush into the doorway as well.

"I see him!" Eddy shouted. "That's got to be the sales guy! Let's get him!"

* * *

There was a hatch. A hatch that had a picture of a crescent moon painted on it. It slowly creaked open, and a small wooden head poked out of it. It shut a moment later.

"Alright, it's clear." Link said.

The hatch opened again. Nervously, Link, Tatl, Double D, Jim, and No. 2 walked out.

"…where are we now?" asked Jim.

The 5 stood atop the tower. The way the building had shifted itself, they were now atop the face of the clock, which was locked into the midnight position.

"We're pretty high up." Jim said.

All 5 of them looked up at once. A dark, masked figure floated over the group. It was one they were all too familiar with.

"You!" Double D shouted upon seeing the man.

It was none other then the Skull Kid. He stared down at the group of children through the eyes of his mask.

"Hey, didn't I place a curse on you two before?" asked the floating straw-child to the two sock-hats.

Both of them grunted in anger.

"You there!" Shouted Tatl. "Where's my brother?"

"You there?" repeated the Skull Kid. "That's no way to treat a friend."

A small, purple fairy flew from behind him at this point. The group of 5 watched in awe.

"Tael!" shouted his sister. "Are you ok?"

"Sis." he said glumly. "…hurry. Swamp. Mountain. Ocean. Valley. Get them, and bring them here."

"_Get who?"_ chimed in Double D's head.

The Skull Kid grew angry. He swatted his purple fairy away. "Don't speak out of line! Stupid fairy!"

"HEY!" Tatl shouted, in defense for her brother. "You can't treat him like this!"

The Skull Kid was unmoved. "Hm… well, it's not like it matters. I doubt you could stop this. There's no way you could even bring those four here."

"_Which four?" _thought Double D.

The Skull Kid smiled beneath the frightening mask. "Just look above you."

The group looked up, and gasped. The Moon was astonishingly close, it's disturbing gaze fixated upon the arena.

"If it's something that can be stopped, then just try and STOP IT!!"

After the masked child made his threat, he held his hands up in the air, and let out a blood-curling screech. Jim and No. 2 were forced to cover their ears to the sound of it. Double D, Link, and the fairy looked on.

There was a loud rumbling sound. The moon suddenly shook, and it's trajectory to the ground grew faster. They all looked and saw the moon was hurtling right for them, at less then a mile away.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!" all five of them shouted.

"Jim, I wanna leave!" No. 2 shouted, half-crying.

"NO!" Jim shouted back. He stood proudly, the fear within him gone. "To the end, we'll see this through. We're all dead if we can't! I'm going to save our town or die trying!!"

Link smiled within his own mind. "You are very brave, Jim."

Double D, meanwhile, was peeking upwards at the skull kid. He was hovering above them, ignoring the children beneath him. As he looked further, he noticed a small, blue object within the Skull Kid's grasp.

"…what is that?" Double D asked softly.

He looked over to Jim. "Hey, Jim."

Jim looked over. "Yeah?"

"Shoot your peashooter at it."

Jim was somewhat baffled. "I don't think a Pea will stop the moon."

"No, not that." Double D said. He pointed to the Skull Kid's left arm, as he was holding the blue item. "Knock that thing out of his hand."

Jim nodded. He reached into his pocket, and pulled out the small, pipe-like item. He placed one end into his mouth, and pointed it high into the air.

"Go for it." Double D said with full confidence.

The little boy took a deep breath, and as he exhaled, he placed the little weapon into his mouth. With a loud POP, a small projectile shot forth, proceeding outwards at a high speed. It whizzed in the air like a bullet, and struck the Skull Kid right in the arm. He let out a painful cry, and grabbed his arm with his left hand. In doing so, the small blue item escaped his grasp, landing on the roof just a few feet away from them.

"Great shot!" No. 2 shouted.

"Hey!" Link suddenly blurted. "My ocarina!"

He ran towards the small instrument happily, the other four looking on curiously.

At the same time, the Skull Kid shook off the pain. He looked back down with a fixated expression of anger. "Why you…"

He looked down upon Jim, who was still holding the Pea Shooter in his hand. The Skull Kid shrieked, and closed his hands together. A small burst of energy was forming in his palms. Before anybody could react, he shot it outwards, the projectile of magic flying right towards the Pea Shooting child.

"JIM!" shouted No. 2.

But it was too late. The blast struck Jim right in the stomach. The force was so strong that Jim became airborne. As he flew backwards, he collided with No. 2. This alone was not strong enough to stop him. No. 2 and Jim shouted as they fell beyond the railing and off the tower.

Jim and Tatl ran to the side of the building, and looked back down, horrified.

"JIIIIIIIIIIM!! No. 2!!" Double D shouted over the side.

It was no use, though. The building was too tall to see the bottom in the darkness. It was over. Jim and No. 2 were lost.

The sock-hated deku placed his head down on the railings and punched them in anger.

Meanwhile, Tatl looked back. She noticed Link, who was holding the blue ocarina, trapped in a trance.

"LINK!' shouted Tatl. "This is no time to leave us like this! Wake up!"

No response. The green-garbed deku seemed completely out of it.

"LINK!" shouted Tatl again. "LI-"

"I know what to do now." Link said quietly.

Before Tatl could ask, the hatch door to the roof opened up. She looked over to it, and watched as two boys rose from it.

"Argh! Who knew there were so many stairs to this stupid tower!!" Eddy shouted as he climbed over.

"Not I." Ed replied oafishly.

Double D, though facing away from his friends, recognized their voices. "Ed? Eddy?"

The two dorky Eds looked over to the figure that was standing nearby, facing the other way. The sock-hat, however, made it perfectly clear who he was.

"Double D!" shouted Ed, running to meet his long lost friend. "There you are!"

Double D turned around, eager to face his friends in his desperate hour.

"WHAT THE?!" shouted Ed suddenly. He saw a face he did not recognize. Double D had realized that Ed nor Eddy knew of his deku transformation.

Eddy rushed ahead and grabbed Double D by his wooden shoulder blades.

"Who are you?!" he asked with anger. "WHO ARE YOU, AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO OUR FRIEND?!"

Double D's face grew surprised. "Please, Ed, Eddy!" he shouted in an unrecognizable voice. "I can explain!"

The rumbling grew harder as the moon got within a quarter mile distance. Ed looked up, noticing the giant celestial body.

"Uh, Eddy…" Ed began, pointing upwards.

"WHAT?!" shouted Eddy, still grasping Double D. He looked up, now staring directly into the reddened, fiery face of evil on the incoming moon.

"HOLY RAVIOLI!" Eddy shouted, at last seeing what the big threat to the town was. "WHAT THE HECK IS THAT THING?!"

The three were interrupted by the sound of music. They looked towards Link, who suddenly appeared to be holding a large, multi-horned instrument. The song he was playing was that of a soothing one. Everyone looked on, even the impressed Skull Kid and purple fairy.

"A fat lot of good that'll do you." the Skull Kid said. "Playing your own funeral music before-"

His words were suddenly drown out by a loud, bell-like sound. All around Link, a huge, white glowing energy erupted. It quickly surrounded Tatl, then Ed, Double D, and Eddy. Their vision turned white, and the area around them turned silent. Then, all 5 of them were falling downwards, into the mysterious abyss of the musical melody…

* * *

**Author's Notes: **_I can imagine this could be quite confusing, what happens at the end. For those of you who have played Majora's Mask, you probably know exactly what happened just there. But for the rest of you, I promise to have a full explanation by the second chapter. Until then, please review!_


	9. Chapter 9: Song of Healing

**Author's Notes: ** _It's been a while since I updated this story, so I decided to give it another attempt to see if people were still interested in it, or if they prefer I focus more on my other Edventure stories for now. _

_

* * *

_

Chapter 9: Song of Healing

"Waaaaaaaaah!!" shouted Double D. He felt himself fall through a white void, soundlessly and endlessly. Afterward, the whiteness became dark, fading in a dismal black.

"Is this it?" he asked himself. "Have I died?"

* * *

"Ooof!!" he shouted when he hit the ground, moments later. It had not hurt too much when he did, but there was definitive pain. The kind any ordinary fellow would not want to experience again.

When he opened his currently orange eyes, Double D was treated to the sight of daylight. He blinked, to make sure his eyes were not deceiving him. He was greeted to the sight of Clock Town Plaza. However, unlike moments ago, it was crowed with people. The carpenters were running about, building the celebration tower in it's earliest stages, a mailman was running the daily route and children where at play.

"Daybreak?" asked Double D. "...did we win?"

He noticed Link suddenly, standing next to him, at the entrance to the clock tower's lower levels. He and Tatl the fairy appeared not to have fallen, unlike him. Tatl flew upwards slightly, surveying the area.

"W-what just happened?! Everything has... …started over..."

Even Link seemed confused, holding his large, pipe-like instrument. He placed it away, amazed how he had even come across it.

"W-wait!" he shouted. "What about the moon?!"

Double D gulped in realization. He and Link ran together, away from the base of the tower, far enough where it wouldn't impede their sight of the sky, and took a look upwards.

The moon which was so very close earlier was now away, back into the sky. It still had that eerie face superimposed on it's surface however, and was looking right over the city just beyond a few patches of clouds which slightly obscured it.

"...I see now." Double D said. He turned to Link with shock. "I don't know how, or why it happened, but that song you just recently played caused us to go back in time!"

Link paused. "Maybe, but-"

**_"TIME!"_** Double D repeated himself, wide-eyed with his hands shaking. "How does that _work_? The physics involved are just... gaaaah, mind-boggling!"

Tatl looked towards Link, flying towards his face.

"Wha... what are you, anyway?" she asked. "That song you played..."

"Sssh!" Double D shouted suddenly, holding up a hand, his other hand poised where his ears used to be out of instinct. "My apologies, but... don't you hear that?"

"Hear what?" asked Link.

"...aaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAGGGH!!!"

Double D looked up just in time to see Eddy fall from the sky and smash directly on top of him, causing them both to collapse onto the ground.

"Are you alri-" Link was cut off as Ed crashed into him with incredible force, so strong that they both plowed clean through the wooden paneling underneath them and into the sewer multiplex underneath the city, leaving a big crater-like hole where they fell.

"Ooooh, my aching head!" Eddy groaned as he got back onto his feet. As he got back up, he was greeted to the sight of a group of spectators which had formed around them.

"Ya! What is this craziness? Sheesh, and at 6 in the morning too." shouted the mailman.

"AW, great! Now we have to fix this hole in the ground AND build the tower?" asked a very irritated carpenter. "Perfect, now we'll never get done in time for certain!"

Tatl flew towards the crater caused by Ed. Looking down, she saw Ed and Link beginning to pull themselves out. She instinctively flew in front of the crowd and began buzzing around them.

"Ok, ok, nothing to see here!" she shouted, trying to push them away. "Go on, get out of here!"

"Is that a fairy?" asked one of the men standing nearby.

"Isn't this one of those fairies that followed the skull kid?"

"Yeah, I think it is!"

"Hey, jerk, you have a **TON** of a explaining to do!"

Tatl found herself being surrounded by townspeople in moments, all shaking their fists or pointing, shouting for explanations.

"Alright, alright, enough already!" Double D shouted, getting himself up and waving away the crowd.

"Not now kid," replied a carpenter. "We want to know what in the world that Skull Kid is up to and why he's been pulling pranks all over town."

"That Skull Kid isn't here." Double D said. "And this fairy is not associated with him. So I kindly suggest you leave us be."

The townspeople groaned, many frustrated, and walked away, resuming their duties. One of the carpenters though, before leaving, turned briefly towards the kids, and gave them a threatening expression.

"We'll see what the mayor has to say about all of this."

Double D and Link glanced at one another briefly. This wouldn't last long though, for a second later Ed jumped from out of the hole and tackled the sock-hat Deku.

"I have you NOW, foul beast!"

"Ed, get off of me!" Double D protested. Ed continued to pin him down though, and Eddy approached him, standing tall over the knocked-over boy.

"Ok pal, you should fess up!" Eddy stated. "What did you do with sock-head?"

"I _am _sock head! Er, I mean, Double D!"

"Don't fall for it, Ed." Eddy stated, folding his arms.

"Guys, please." Link sighed. "No need for this."

"Stay out of this, scarecrow!" Eddy shouted. He turned back to Double D. "Ok, we'll have to do this the hard way then."

Tatl suddenly flew in front of the two human Eds and knocks them back.

"Knock it off, dorks!"

"_Dorks_?" Eddy asked. "Aw great, don't tell me you're trying to be _Kevin_ now, aren't you?"

"This guy is really is Double D. Now shut up and give us a chance to explain!" Tatl shouted.

"Explain?" Eddy asked. "We need a lot of explaining done pal! Where are we, who are you people, and what the heck is with that crazy moon of yours?!"

* * *

Friday, Day 1: 6:05 AM (71 hours, 55 minutes remain)

The door to the dark gear room of the clock tower slowly opened up. Link lead Double D, Eddy, Ed, and Tatl within the interior of the chamber.

"Back so soon?" asked a familiar voice.

The group gasped and turned to see the Happy Mask Salesman, staring creepily at the group while standing next to one of the slowly turning gear columns.

"What's this creep-o got to do with any of this?" Eddy asked.

"I'm sorry, I don't think we're acquainted." the salesman said with a bow. "I'm but a mask salesman you see."

"You forgot us already?" Eddy asked.

"Yeah, even I know you, _creep-o_." Ed paused. "Uh, who's this guy again?"

"Ed..." Eddy whispered. "You know, the scary looking guy we met two nights ago?"

"Sorry children, I haven't a clue." the salesman said, having heard the conversation.

He then turned towards Double D and Link, smirking a devilish little smirk. "I do know you two of course. We just met five minutes ago."

"It feels like 3 days to us!" Tatl responded.

Again the salesman smirked. "So, you're time travelers, eh? Well no wonder you came back so fast. It would also explain this..."

The salesman gestured to the right, over to a bicycle which was leaning on the wall, good as new.

"Why that's Kevin's bike!" Double D replied, somewhat surprised.

"That's right, Double D took it when he vanished." Eddy said, a little surprised as well.

"That just showed up at 6 in the morning. You three must have time traveled and left it behind, right?" the salesman said. "Either way, I can only assume history course-corrected itself and the bike was sent here. If I recall you two had one when you came through her just earlier."

Double D walked over to the bike. "Huh, well that's good to know."

"Wait, hold on..." Eddy began. "They time traveled? WE time traveled?!"

"Like Evil Tim?!" Ed shouted in a panicked state.

The masked salesman ignored the group and walked towards Link. "Were you able to recover your precious items from that imp?"

"You mean my Ocarina? Well yeah, I-"

The salesman grabbed Link's shoulders and started to shame him excitedly. Double D noticed this and got up slowly.

"Er, hey now-!"

"Oh! Oh! Ohhh!!!" the salesman shouted. "You got it! You got it! You got it! You got it!!!"

"...Ed, this man's nuts." Eddy said. "They're all nuts."

The salesman let go abruptly, so fast that he nearly threw Link to the ground, then he twirled around and proceeded towards a wall near the end of the room, one that wasn't visible due to the ever-present darkness.

"Here." he said, turning on a small light. Upon doing so, he revealed a really big piano, a long, organ-esque instrument which spanned from wall to wall in length. Amazingly, it had three strait rows of keys, and above it were the visible gilded strings and gold framework, held together by by polished wood.

All three eds stared, mouths agape.

"Uh, Eddy, was that always there?" asked Ed.

The salesman sat down on a chair next to the piano and pulled himself upto it's keys. He turned his head over to Link.

"Then listen to me. Please play this song I am about to perform, and remember it well..."

He then turned to the instrument, and reaches towards it with all ten fingers outstretched in a dramatic fashion. Link panicked and quickly withdrew his bizarre pipe instrument. However, when he did, to everyone surprise, the salesman began to play a simple, slow melody, all with just one finger, repeating the same three notes four times.

Ed himself began to hum these notes, while Eddy looked on, yawning out of boredom.

Double D rubbed his head and looked on. "Well, it's not exactly Mozart, but..."

Link looked on, in silence for a moment, then looked down at his instrument, and began to play the same three notes. It was only after he repeated the notes twice that he stopped suddenly. He started wobbling in place, losing his balance, and moaning.

"It turned him into a zombie?" Ed asked.

"Ssh." said the salesman. "It's starting."

Double D also began to feel disoriented. He began to sway and fell backwards against the wall, nearly landing on Kevin's Bike in the process. His eyes felt heavy and he slowly began to drift out of his own consciousness. He found himself lying back on the ground, drifting off into a deep, quiet sleep...

* * *

Friday, Day 1: 9:42 AM (68 hours, 18 minutes remain)

"I'm so booooooooreeed!"

Double D winced. "Eddy?" he asked.

"Double D?!" both Ed and Eddy exclaimed. They rushed over to Double D, who was slowly opening his eyes after his nap.

"You... know it's me?" Double D asked, slowly rising.

"Dude, look!" Eddy shouted. He grabbed Double D's head and turned it for him, so he could face his reflection in the metal shine of Kevin's Bike. It took a moment to register the fact that he was looking at his human face. His true face. He gasped in surprise, then in delight. The sock-hat boy looked at his arms, and sure enough they were flesh and bone: human.

"I'm me again. Happy da-"

"Glad to have you back!" Ed shouted, grabbing both Double D and Eddy in a big bear hug.

"Urk!!" Double D replied.

Moments later Ed let them drop to the ground. Eddy got up first.

"Enough is enough lumpy!" Eddy shouted. He turned back to face his friend.

"Oh, er, hello Double D. Sorry about... earlier. You know, I couldn't tell who you were and... whatever." Eddy said quietly, half-facing Double D with a sheepish expression on his face.

Double D laughed. "Apology accepted."

"That guy in green woke up earlier then you, Double D." Eddy said. "He... told us everything about what happened."

His attention then turned away from his best friends and towards Link, who had also turned back to his normal self.

"So that's what he looks like, eh?" Ed asked.

Eddy scoffed. "Kind of girly if you ask me."

Double D listened on onto a conversation that Link and the salesman had started.

"This is a melody that heals evil magic and troubles spirits, turning them into masks." explained the salesman.

"Masks?" Double D asked.

"Yeah, check it out." Eddy said. He reached onto the floor and picked up a wooden mask, which resembled a Deku's face.

"That's kind of disturbing..." Double D said, eyes widened.

"Well, when you turned back to normal, this thing came off your face." Eddy said.

Double D nodded, and looking over at Link, he noticed that Link was holding one of his own as well, result of his curse being lifted.

"I am sure it will be of assistance to you in the future." continued the salesman. "Ah yes, I give you these masks in commemoration of this day. Fear not, for the magic has been sealed in these masks. When you wear it, you will transform into the shape you just were. When you remove it, you will return to normal."

Link nodded and accepted his own mask, placing it into his inventory. Eddy also handed Double D his mask.

"Er, no thanks." Double D said, handing it back. "I've had enough of this Deku business for now."

Ed swiped it out of Eddy's hands and twirled around with it. "Yoink!"

"Ed!" Eddy shouted.

A moment later Ed, in a smaller, wooden, highly lanky form with a smaller jacket and tall chin-less head ran about the room, laughing in a squeaker voice. "Catch me if you can, Eddy, I'm the gingerbread man!"

"Why YOU!!" Eddy shouted, and began to pursuit Ed around the dark room.

Double D rubbed his head. "Geez, it's as though they don't have a care in the world..." Once again, he turned his attention over to Link and the salesman. Gradually, he got to his feet and approached the two, as did Tatl who had been earlier watching the scene from the door, herself growing bored of waiting.

"You certainly are full of surprises." Double D said to Link. The child in green turned to look ad Double D. "Heh, well..."

"How did you get us to time travel anyway? What was that song you played back on the tower?"

"It's..." Link began. "It's a song a friend of mine taught me, long ago. She told me, if anything should happen to me, that I should play this song. But... it's never done that before."

He looked at his own ocarina. "I also didn't expect it to transform into pipes when I was a Deku, and transform back with me. This instrument has surprises even I didn't know about."

"Pardon my interruption. Now, I have fulfilled my promise to you..." began the salesman, getting the attention of Double D and Link. "So, please, give me that which you promised me."

Double D gulped and looked at his friend Link. The _Mask_._**M****ajora's Mask**_. They forgot to take it before they time traveled.

"Um... well you see sir..."

They all went silent for a moment. So silent that Eddy and Ed stopped running about and glanced over to see what was going on.

The salesman's smile vanished. "Don't tell me..."

"..."

"My mask... you did... ...get it back... ...didn't you?"

Double D and Link grimaced.

The salesman's face instantly turned into a frightening one: it contorted, eyes narrowed and gleaming angrily, a dark angry smile appeared, so strange that it distorted his face's muscle structure. The next moment either of them realized, he has managed to lift Double D and Link up into the air with his own bare hands, holding them up into the air with one hand each, and started shaking them.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME!!!"

"Double D!" Eddy shouted. He and Ed ran forward to help.

Before the two eds could reach though, the salesman threw Link and Double D to the ground. Eddy and Ed helped the two back up onto their feet, while the salesman was screeching and writhing, his hands on his head, spinning and twisting about where he stood.

"This guy's mad!" Double D shouted.

"Run away!!" Ed shouted, taking off the Deku mask. He grabbed Double D and Eddy, and bolted towards the door.

"Wait you guys, don't leave Link behind!" Tatl shouted, trying to pull them back with what little strength she had as opposed to Ed's brute power.

"If you leave my mask out there, something terrible will happen!" the salesman hissed at them, still twisting.

"Terrible?" Link gulped.

"Never mind that, kid!" shouted Eddy, while he and the others stood next to the exit. "C'mon!"

"W-wait, hold on." Link said.

The salesman calmed down slowly, his face slowly fading into a more neutral state: his voice lowering in pitch. He looked down towards the ground.

"The mask that was stolen from me... it's called Majora's Mask." He began, quite quietly. The others watched on as he continued. "It is an accursed item from legend that is said to have been used by an ancient tribe in its hexing rituals. It is said that an evil and wicked power is bestowed upon the one who wears that mask."

The salesman looked down even further, and his voice deepened still. "According to legend... the troubles caused by Majora's Mask were so great..."

A light in the room flickered for a moment, and a whining sound could be heard up above from the gear system of the clockwork.

"The ancient ones, fearing such catastrophe, sealed the mask in shadow forever, preventing its misuse. But now, that tribe from the legend has vanished, so no one really knows the true nature of the mask's power..."

All of the lights in the room flickered out for a moment. There was a sudden, loud, screeching sound from above and below: the whine of the rusting mechanics of the tower pierced everyone's ears for a moment, even the tower itself shook. Moments later, the lights turned on, and revealed the salesman's expression, returned to his usual creepy smile.

"...but I feel it."

Double D, still shaking a bit, rose an eyebrow. "Feel what?"

The salesman leaned backwards suddenly, head poised facing the ceiling, holding his hands together as if he wanted to pray. "I went to great lengths to get that legendary mask. When I finally had it... I could sense the doom of a dark omen brewing. It was that unwelcome feeling that makes your hair stand on end."

Saddened, he placed on of his hands over his face as if to wipe a tear. "And now... that _imp_ has it..."

The salesman began twisting around where he stood once more, grabbing his head as though in sudden and terrible pain.

"I am begging you! You must get that mask back quickly or something terrible will happen!"

Next he started bowing his head up and down rapidly in desperation, a sort of dark and crazy desperation that made everyone watching uncomfortable.

"I'm begging you! I'm begging you! You must do it!"

"Ok, ok!" Double D shouted, half scared to death.

All at once, as if he had recovered from his madness in one single second, his face turned to a pleasant smile and he calmly stood, back to his dignified stance. "Really? You'll do it for me?"

Double D nodded, still nervous. Link joined him in this nod.

"I was certain you would tell me that. You'll be fine! Surely YOU can do it! Believe in your strengths. Believe..."

"Uh..." Eddy began from the back of the room. "...can we leave now?"

* * *

Friday, Day 1: 9:45 AM (68 hours, 15 minutes remain)

The group tumbled out of the door all at once, crashing into a heap all of their own out in South Clock Town's plaza.

"Eddy, get your foot off my face." Double D groaned.

"Only if lumpy gets his hand out of my ear!"

"Haha, only if Double D gets his hat out of my tail!"

"Your _what_?"

The group collectively got back up, dusting themselves off slowly.

Link looked back up at Tatl, who appeared to be deep in thought.

"Tatl? What is it?"

"That mask..." she began. "The Skull Kid uses the power of that mask to do those terrible things. Well... whatever it takes, we've gotta do something about it."

She began floating downwards for a second, towards the rest of the group. "...the swamp, mountains, ocean, and canyon Tael was trying to tell us about..."

"Who?" asked Eddy.

"Tatl's brother who's with the skull kid. He mentioned something about those places while we confronted them earlier." Double D explained.

"I bet he was referring to the four areas just outside town. There's one in each compass direction. But what do you suppose he meant by 'the four who are there'? I have no idea. He always skips important stuff. I guess we should just go and find out... if we go through that gate strait ahead, we'll be heading in the direction of the southern swamp."

Double D nodded. "Right, I remember now."

"A swamp?" Eddy asked. "Lame. Why not go to the ocean? I could use a stylish beach-trip if you ask me."

"The swamp is the easiest to reach from here." Tatl said. "The mountains are blocked off by a wall of ice, the ocean by a large metal gate and the canyon by a tall mountain. The swamp has no obstacles from here to there."

"Should we be concerned about those other obstacles for later though?" asked Double D.

"We can deal with it later. But let's go the swamp and see if we can find this guy 'who is there'."

"Whoo hoo!" Ed shouted. "To the land of swamps we go!"

Double D felt a tap on his shoulder. While the others continued, he turned around. What he saw was a man, a tall man, dressed in shiny armor and holding a spear. He recognized this man as one of the town guards, the police so-to-speak.

"Excuse me child." he spoke in a strong, confident voice. "Are you the people affiliated with the Skull Kid? Are you the ones who smashed through the paneling earlier this morning?"

Double D's eyes widened. "Er, um, well we..."

Before Double D had time to react, he found himself and the rest of the group instantly surrounded by five members of the guard, forming a circle.

"Uh, Eddy?" Ed asked. "...what's going on?"

* * *

Friday, Day 1: 12:00 PM (66 hours remain)

"Most of the townsfolk already have taken shelter without awaiting the mayor's orders." Captain Viscen, a taller, stronger looking guardsman with a royal-purple colored staff: the leader of the Clock Town Police stated his argument. "The only ones left are the public servants and the committee members..."

He and his guard stood to the right of the Mayor's desk within his office, which was at the time crowded with the town's most important men within a very heated argument.

"Mr. Mayor and Carnival committee members," Viscen urged, "Please order those who remain to evacuate!"

The Mayor, an older looking man sitting behind his desk, with an odd purple hairdo and black goatee which extended off his wrinkled old chin, sat there, eyes glancing between his guardsman and the committee members.

"Ahh... hmm... well..."

"You cowards!" the committee's leader boldly shouted, shaking his head and shouting with his mouth agape. "Do you actually believe the moon will fall? The confused townsfolk simply caused a panic by believing this ridiculous, groundless theory. The soldiers couldn't prevent the panic, but outside the town walls is where the real danger is! You want answers? The answer is that the carnival should not be cancelled!" the leader turned to the town mayor. "Isn't that right, Mr. Mayor?"

"Ahh... hmm... well..."

"Political turmoil!" Ed proclaimed.

"Sssh, Ed." implored Double D.

"Booooring..." Eddy moaned.

Having been apprehended by the guardsmen earlier that day, they faced a meeting with the town Mayor. However, it had appeared as though there already was a meeting upon their arrival. Until that one would be over, the Eds, Link and Tatl had no choice but to sit quietly at the far end of the room and listen on as the town leaders continued to bicker at one another.

"Are you serious, Mutoh?!? It seems that giant chuck of rock above us hasn't caught your eye! At this time every year, we are overrun by tourists! So why is the town so empty? Clearly, it's your job to ensure the carnival's operation, but that's if people are here for it! Don't drag the merchants and soldiers into this!"

"Mmm... Hmm..."

"If the soldiers wish to run, then run Viscen! We councilmen will stick to tradition. This carnival will be a success! I've never heard of a defense unit abandoning it's town! Madame Aroma would surely say the same thing, wouldn't she, Mayor Dotour?"

The Mayor frowned. "...let's not bring my wife into this."

_"The way these two parties are arguing reminds me of the way politics is divided back home, come to think of it."_ thought Double D as he watched.

"All must take refuge!!!"

"On with the carnival!!!"

"Is there a point to your lives?!?"

The mayor, suddenly, jumped up from his seat, and slammed one of his palms atop his desk.

"Enough!" he shouted, waving one hand in front of his face.

"But Mr. Mayor!"

"We'll take a recess. Viscen, Mutoh, and everyone else, take your leave. I have other issues to deal with today as well. Return here in one hour and we will resume."

"Yes sir!" Viscen stated respectfully.

"Whatever..." Mutoh moaned.

And with that, the guardsmen and committee members left the room, muttering amongst themselves. The four children and fairy still remained, watching quietly from the bottom of the room.

"And now, you five..." Mayor Dotour began. "I believe you owe us all a bit of an explanation."

"We don't owe ya nothin'." Eddy said, defiantly sticking his tongue out at the town's leader.

"If you do not comply with the rules of this interrogation, we'll have you all arrested." the mayor threatened.

"Big deal pal, we'll just have our friend here send us back in ti-"

Double D elbowed Eddy nervously.

"We'll proceed, Mayor." Double D said with a sheepish expression.

The mayor sat back down in his seat, into a relaxed state, and sighed for a moment.

"The Skull Kid has reportedly been causing multiple incidents all over town. I have heard everything from accounts of theft to attempted murder."

"It's not the Skull Kid's fault!" Tatl said suddenly. All present turned to look towards her as she floated over the desk.

"Then who is to blame for these incidents?" he asked her.

"..." she went silent. _"The mask's..."_ she thought to herself. Nothing could be heard for a good long time accept for the sounds of a clock ticking.

"Judging from the sound of it, I can assume you know the Skull Kid." the Mayor stated.

"We only met him recently." Double D said. "He robbed us and we chased him here, to this town. After that..."

There was a silence in the room. Link, Ed, and Eddy exchanged glances with one another.

"...after that, we lost him."

"That may be true for your boys, but eyewitnesses claim this fairy was present with the skull kid during most of the alleged perpetrations." he said. "Is this true?"

"I... that is..." Tatl stopped.

Link stood forward this time. "It wasn't her."

"And why should I believe-"

Double D suddenly placed his hands on the desk and got into the mayor's face.

"Sir, there are far more important problems then this. For example, the mood is indeed falling. ...and we believe the Skull Kid is responsible for this."

The Mayor froze, wide-eyed at first. After a moment, he broke into an old man's chuckle, coughing between laughs.

"Now I've heard my share of crazy theories, but what makes you think that kid is capable of that?"

"He... obtained some kind of _power._" Link said.

The mayor stopped laughing and slowly grew more serious.

"We're not sure how, but in three days the moon will fall alright, directly into the town plaza."

The Mayor's eyes narrowed. "So you are confirming this as fact."

"Correct." Double D said.

Eddy and Ed continued to watch, still bored out of their minds.

"In that case, Viscen was right..." Mayor Dotour stated.

"We only have one clue about how to stop this." Double D said. "We must bring '_the four who are there_.'"

The mayor frowned. "You must be misinformed. That quote comes from a legend our town celebrates. The _four _refer to four guardians who reside in the Swamp, Mountains, Ocean, and Canyon. You're suggesting we leave it up to the gods themselves to save our town?"

"Gods?" Ed asked. "Like the kind they wrap mummies in?"

"No Ed, that's gauze." Double D corrected.

"...but if it's the only clue you have, then we can go with it." The Mayor said. "...unfortunately, our town is in a big mess. The carnival committee members are rioting, several people are missing, including my son... I can't send my guardsmen to investigate the other areas, due to our own problems, not to mention the peace treaty we issued with the other societies there..."

Mayor Dotour places his head on his desk. "...what am I supposed to do about all of this?"

"We will investigate this." Link said, getting up and standing next to Double D.

"We will?" Eddy asked. "Hold on, why are the rest of us involved in this?!"

"I cannot issue you five to do anything by law." the Mayor said. "But... as a concerned citizen, I would be honored if you could do what you have in your power to save our town."

Link merely nodded. "We have a score to settle with him anyway."

Tatl flew by the hero's side in agreement.

The green-clad boy turned to look at the three Eds. "Well?" he asked.

"I... suppose I couldn't forgive myself if I left things unresolved." Double D also stood next to the hero.

"Count me in! Adventure!" Ed proclaimed, hands held in the air.

All then turned to look at Eddy.

"...what?" he asked.

"Coming Eddy?" Double D asked.

"What? Me? What do I have to do with any of this stuff?" Eddy asked.

"Like it or not Eddy, you really don't have a choice on the matter." Double D stated.

"Why not?"Eddy asked, frustrated.

Double D glanced at his tallest friend. "Ed, if you will."

The tall, lanky Ed got up from where he stood, and loomed tall over Eddy, arms outstretched. He grasped Eddy in a big bear hug.

"Erk!!" Eddy shouted, flailing his arms. "Ok, ok!!"

**

* * *

**

**Author's Notes: **_True we didn't quite get to the swamp part of the story this time. I do have a few more things I want to write about within Clock Town before I get a move-on with the terminian explorations. I hope this shall work though for now._


	10. Chapter 10: Preparations

**Author's Notes: **_Hey everyone. I know I haven't updated this story in a while, but I thought it would be fitting to wait for New Year's Eve, considering this story is one about time. I am aware that this chapter is, while not being too much of a plot advancer, it does provide some important closures before leaving on the mission, as well as a bit of comedy. I hope you enjoy!_

_

* * *

_

Chapter 10: Preparations

Friday, Day 1: 1:00 PM (65 hours remain)

Double D and the others left the office soon after the mayor's meeting has resumed. They grouped on a plaza just outside of the Mayor's office.

"Ok, Double D." began Link. "And everyone else. If we are going to do this, we need to prepare."

"Er, to do what exactly?" Eddy asked.

"Find the guardians." Tatl noted. "We'll have to go to the Swamp as planned. But..."

"But?" Double D asked.

"...well, this town is well guarded, and aside from the moon itself, it's a well protected area. But outside of the town walls, the fields are, well, infested with all sorts of monsters."

"MONSTERS?!" Double D and Eddy shouted.

"Cool!" Ed proclaimed. "We must vanquish those beasts!"

"Er, what sort of monsters?" Double D asked.

"The area just outside of our town is a place called Termina Field." Tatl explained. "It's a crossroads where paths to the north, south, east and west all meet. As such, all sorts of creatures routinely migrate from the four compass directions. Birds that steal from passerby, animated goo that attacks anyone who approaches their nests, spiraling green creatures that burrow under sand, fire breathing dragons, and mice which explode on contact with other living creatures. And this is only during the day, the nocturnal creatures of Termina are much more dangerous still."

Double D rubbed his head in thought. "This is going to be very dangerous isn't it?"

Tatl nodded. "Everyone, I think it's a good idea to prepare first. We can separate and search town individually for things we may need for the trip."

"I'm already set, now that I have my sword back." Link said, making a gesture towards his trusty sword which remained in it's sheath on his back.

"Alright, but these other three need some method of fighting. Without protection they're not going to be very useful out there."

"Well, alright then." Double D said. "Let's meet at the Milk Bar in East Clock Town at 4 PM. Everyone should hopefully by then at least have some sort of clue about what they want to do about fighting."

* * *

Friday, Day 1: 3:00 PM (63 hours, remain)

"Ugh..." the town postman moaned, laying down on his bed. It had just been a long, tiresome day of deliveries. His highly demanding job left him exhausted, as he lay nearly motionless, panting heavily and sweating, atop his bed which wasn't made yet today.

However, this relaxation moment was short lived. The door to the post office suddenly burst open. Behind it stood a tall oaf of an Ed, holding his foot in a kicking position.

The postman, surprised, sprung out of his bed, surprised.

**_"What the-?!"_**

"Swordsman!" Ed shouted in a declarative tone, pointing strait ahead. He proceeded into the room slowly, still holding his pointing pose. "I have come! Please endow me with your powers so I can vanquish eviiiiiil!!"

The postman stared, bewildered. "Swordsman?!"

A moment later he laughed. "No, no, I'm not the swordsman. He lives next door. I'm just the postma-"

Ed would hear none of this. He approached the postman, before crying out and bowing before him.

"Pleaaaaaaaase Mr. Swordsman! Show me how to vanquish all evil!"

The postman grew more annoyed. "Ok now, listen. I have mail to deliver later tonight so I need time to myself to rest, so-"

"PLEAAAAAAAAAASE!" Ed pleaded again.

The postman merely stared, bewildered. "...I don't think I know anything that can help you."

Ed looked up from where he was bowing, eyed widened and tears forming in the ducts of his pitiful expression.

The postman placed his face in his hands. "The people I have to put up with in my profession..."

He looked down at Ed and nodded. "Ok, ok! I'll see what I can do. But I can't do anything for you until my route is finished, and that will take a couple hours at leas-"

Ed scrambled across the room to grab a large leather sac, filled to capacity with letters. He then picked up the postman's red work cap, which had been all the while sitting atop a counter, and made a solute sign.

"Don't worry, captain! I will do this serve in the name of riley!"

"What is your problem?!"

Ed bolted out the door in an instant, with the force of a wrecking ball, knocking the whole frame free of it's place on the wall, rushing away a light speed leaving a trail of letters behind as he carelessly carried the sac through town.

The postman was left bewildered and horrified, still standing next to his bed.

"...oh good gravy, I'm going to be fired."

* * *

Friday, Day 1: 3:04 PM (62 hours, 56 minutes remain)

Double D slowly opened the door before him. Inside, it was relatively quieter and calmer then the hustle and bustle outside of the town walls. It seemed like a relatively empty room, with a platform at the far end, only about two steps high off the ground. In front of this platform, to the left side of the room was a large gong, gold and silver in color and design.

"Hello?" called Double D out. There did not seem to be anyone present inside at the moment.

"Strange..." he noted, rubbing his head. "I could have sworn that this was the Swordsman's School."

With a shrug, Double D turned around and proceeded back towards the door. The moment he turned his back, a knife soared across the room silently. It cut through the frame of the door, just missing Double D's head by an inch. It burrowed in the wood where it remained, stuck in place, still quivering from when it was hit.

The sock hat was frozen at first, horrified with his near brush with death. His eyes darted to the knife which stuck in the wall beside himself.

"What do you want?" asked a voice behind himself. Double D turned and saw a man sitting on the higher platform, his head almost completely covered with a large amount of hair, enough to make even the most committed hippie jealous.

"This is a place for the study of the sword. And you do not have one." the man said. "So unless you come here with a sword, this place is no place for the likes of you, kid."

Double D turned. "Please sir, I need a weapon of some kind! I'm about to go into Termina Field!"

The swordsman laughed. "Termina Field? You think you can survive out there? Are you nuts?"

Double D shook where he stood. He then gulped, and with a sweat, took a step forth. "It's j-j-j-just something I need to do!"

The swordsman slowly got up, and shook his head. "Sorry, I don't have any swords or anything to spare for you. The best I have for you is that knife I just threw. Besides, you don't seem like the swordsman type."

Double D frowned. "Do you know of any other place around here that sells weapons?"

The swordsman thought for a moment. "Well... not per se. But maybe I can help you. But I need to test your abilities."

"Abilities?"

The Swordsman nodded. I have a course here, specifically for fighters in training. If you pass, I'll be sure to help you.

"But I'm not sure if I have time-"

"Trust me, kid..." began the swordsman. "If you want to last out there, then this is crucial."

Double D gulped. "Ok."

The swordsman got up from his seat and rose his hand. With a snap of his fingers, the whole room began to rumble.

"W-what's this?" Double D asked, surprised, having trouble balancing.

The swordsman smirked. "You better arm yourself quickly."

Double D scrambled to the door, and grabbed ahold of the knife the swordsman had thrown. As this occurred, two logs shot forth from below, breaking out of the floor. The flew up into the air above the room.

"Let's see if you can hit them before they fall!" the swordsman shouted.

Double D grunted. He ran forth, knife in hand, and sliced a horizontal slice. The knife accurately hit both of the logs. A moment later, the logs hit the floor, each with a thin, small cut which barely pieced the bark.

Double D looked down, half satisfied at the little power he had.

The ground began to rumble again, much to his surprise.

_"More?" _he thought.

Two more logs shot out of the ground. This time, they were both on exact opposite sides of him. Double D looked at both as the flew over his head. As he did, he noticed that one flew higher then the other. Double D swung quickly the knife towards the higher one, then slashed to his left as the other one fell, lowering his arm as he cut in order to make the slice. However, in his hasty decision, the cut on the second log was much more weak, only shaving off a piece of bark before the logs fell back down.

The swordsman grunted. "Not very strong, are we?"

Double D focused now. The ground shook a third time. This time, with his focus, he could feel the patch of ground behind himself was where the logs were to emerge. On instinct, he twirled around and held out the knife. A log popped out of the ground, just where he calculated He merely held out his arm as the log was slices when it rose, this time making a more accurate slash with a better, deeper result.

However, Double D also hard two more crashes. Behind him, two logs had already shout out of the air, and were on their way back down to the ground.

"No!" Double D shouted. He twirled about as best as he could, the knife outstretched. It cut through both as they were within inches of hitting the floor. Neither of the logs suffered more then a simple graze before hitting the ground.

When the lag of those two landed, it topped over, falling towards Double D's outstretched arm. Double D instinctively drew back from the log, accidentally dropping the knife in the process, as it fell to the ground and landed blade-down, stabbed into the floor.

"Enough!" shouted the swordsman. He sat back down on his platform. "This training event is over."

Double D nodded, panting already.

"Tired already?" the swordsman asked. "I see... indeed the way of the blade isn't for you."

Double D sighed. "I suppose not."

The swordsman smiled. "You're not bad. Your timing and precision are pretty good, but you just don't have the strength to fight with a sword. You need something else. Something that benefits from your precision and timing..."

Double D tilted his head. "And what do you propose?"

The swordsman got up. "Aha, I know!"

* * *

Friday, Day 1: 3:10 PM (62 hours, 50 minutes remain)

"...welcome."

Eddy had entered a dark shop. As far as he could see, from one side of the room to the other, it was filled with bombs and other explosives. Large powder kegs the size of warehouse crates lay at various places across the room. At the far end of the room was a counter, with an older man standing behind it to the left, with smaller merchandise to the right of him.

"Wa-hoo, jackpot!" Eddy shouted, rushing to the counter.

The old man looked up. He was holding a hand-crafted bomb, twirling the fuse of bomb with his fingers. "Oh, hey there kid. What's up?"

Eddy laughed. "Hey pal, how's about you get me some of these here?"

The man shrugged. "Uh, ok. But, do I have to stress how dangerous these are? This is a bomb shop you know."

Eddy shrugged off his warning. "Yeah yeah, blah blah blah."

The shortest of the Eds looked at the items lain out on the counter. The first of which were standard, spherical bombs with a metal casing and fuse on top. Eddy picked this first one up. He was surprised how light it was. He easily threw it up into the air before catching it as it fell.

"Haha, I think I'm getting the hang of this already!" Eddy commented.

Eddy looked at the next item on the counter. It appeared to look more like a machine, with a mouse-like appearance. It had a blue painted front with yellow eyes painted on and a gold plated tail-piece in the back. Underneath it were a series of wheels which seemed to provide it movement.

"What's this doohickey?" Eddy asked, picking it up.

"It's a Bombchu." noted the shopkeeper. "They are programed to explode ten seconds after you set it off. You let it go and it'll move in a strait line until it explodes. It can also scale walls and even work on ceilings."

Eddy held it up above him. As he did, he reached to the eyes of the bombchu. Upon doing so, he felt the eye pieces sink into the machine a centimeter, and a click was heard. The wheels on the bomb starting turning and the machine started glowing red.

"What'd I do, what'd I do!" Eddy shouted.

"You fool!!" the old man got up and jumped over the counter. "Don't let that go off!"

"How do I turn it off?! Gah!" Eddy panicked and twirled his arms, releasing the bombchu, which landed on the floor. Thankfully, it had not landed on it's wheels, instead it landed upside down. The old man dove upon the bomb and grabbed it, quickly pressing the eye button. The machine powered down instantly, causing the wheels to slow to a stop and the glowing to cease.

Eddy sighed in relief.

"Geez that was close." Eddy moaned.

The old man, surprised and horrified, looked at Eddy.

"...so, can I buy something now?" Eddy asked.

"What?!" the bomb shop owner asked. "Are you serious?! You almost set off a bomb in a bomb shop! You almost blew up this whole side of town! I clearly can't trust you with these!"

Eddy groaned. "Aw, c'mon! It was an honest mistake!"

The old man lept back over to the other side of the counter. He paused for a moment.

"Well... fine, but I won't be selling bombchus to you. If you really need bombs, I'll just have to give you the standard model."

Eddy moaned. "Aw..."

The was given a sharp expression from the other side of the counter.

"Ok, ok ok!" Eddy shouted. "I'll take the regular ones!"

The man nodded. "Alright then. For first timers, I have to provide an extra charge for the Bomb Bag, so you'll be able to carry a maximum of 20 regular bombs. That price comes to..." he counted the value on his fingers briefly. "50 rupees total."

"What?!" Eddy shouted. "50?!"

The old man folded his arms. "That's the price."

"But I gotta get some of these things to protect myself, I'm gonna go into Termina Field!"

The old man rubbed his head. "Termina Field? Why? Don't you know how dangerous it is out there?"

"I don't care!" Eddy reiterated himself. "I just need them!"

"I can't give you a discount just because you're traveling."

Eddy moaned. He reached into his pant pockets and dug around. A large cloud of dust, three quarters, fishing string, and a photograph of himself could be found. He took the photo and thrust it onto the counter.

"A picture of my dazzling face." he said with a smirk. "Surely more then enough for a mere bunch-a bombs, wouldn't you agree?"

The old man said nothing, perplexed by the offer.

This rather awkward moment was broken by the sound of a creaking door. Both present turned to see Double D, proceeding into the room. He looked around in two directions for a moment.

"Oh, silly me." Double D noted with a blush. "This isn't the curiosity shop, is it?"

"That's two doors down." The bomb shop owner replied.

"Oops, thanks." Double D said with a wave before turning back. As he turned, Eddy rushed up to him.

"Double D! Help me!" He shouted, grabbing him from behind.

"Uh... with what?" he asked, somewhat dazed.

"I need rupees! 50 of them!"

Double D gasped. "What? I don't have that kind of money!"

Eddy groaned. "Pleaaaaase, I need the cash!"

"What for?"

Eddy looked back into the room. "Bombs! Loads of 'em! With that kind of power I won't need to worry about protection out there on the field."

"I don't know Eddy, that sounds kind of dangerous..."

"PLEASE!" Eddy exclaimed.

"Ok, ok!" Double D shouted. "Come with me for a bit, I'm certain we can find you the cash somehow."

* * *

Friday, Day 1: 3:16 PM (62 hours, 44 minutes remain)

"HEY!"

"Come on, get down from there!"

Ed looked about, confused. "Huh? Where are those voices coming from?"

Ed stood high upon a rooftop with the sac of mail, still wearing the postman's hat. A trail of letters which had flown out of the mail bag led a group of irate townsfolk towards Ed.

"It's him!" shouted a carpenter. "That's one of the kids who made that hole in the center of town today!"

"Wasn't that group of kids paired along with the Skull Kid who was causing all sorts of mischief?"

"It's got to be!"

"First he's tearing up the ground and now he's stealing the mail!"

Ed looked down, spotting the mob beneath him. He wove his hand at them carelessly. "Oh, hey there people!"

"Get down from there!" shouted one of the townsmen.

Ed blinked for a moment. "Uh... oh, right."

As he turned to come back down, he noticed a single treasure chest located on the roof of the building. Curiously, he approached it. It was about the size of the bag he was carrying, built mostly of old wood and metal. The amount of rust and decay on the wood suggested that this chest had been atop the roof for years, through rainstorms and blistering hot summer afternoons.

"Uh..." Ed noted at first, staring at the chest. A moment later, he kicked the chest. It broke apart on contact, sending wood shards and brittle pieces of metal shrapnel across the floor. Revealed within the interior of the shattered chest is was only one item, a tiny shiny sliver gem. Ed picked it up and held up the sparkling item.

"Huh?" Ed asked. "Well look at that!"

He gleefully placed it into his pocket, unaware of what precisely this gem was.

With that, he turned back to the mob situated beneath him.

"Ok pal, the jig is up." shouted the East Clock Town guardsman stated, calling from below. "Come down from there, you're trespassing on private property and you're holding federal goods."

"Oops." Ed stated. "Ok, I'm coming down!"

He leapt forth from the top of the roof towards the spectators.

"Wah!" shouted the townspeople, diving out of the way to avoid being crushed by the oafish Ed. He landed on his feet with a loud and tremulous boom. A moment later, he darted away towards the South Clock Town entrance, laughing chaotically. The mob of people stood there, confused at first.

"...what's that guy's deal?" asked the carpenter.

"Hard to say..."

"Hold on!" shouted the guard. "Hurry up and get him! He's getting away!"

* * *

Double D and Eddy has just proceeded into South Clock Town from the west exit, towards the ramp to their right.

"So, what are ya doing around here anyway?" Eddy asked. "I thought you went somewhere else."

"Yeah." Double D noted. "I was at the swordsman's place earlier. He told me there was a good weapon I might be able to use, but I'd need to check someplace else to get it. He gave my directions, but..."

Eddy rose an eyebrow. "Huh, sounds kind of shady."

"Doesn't sound any more dangerous then letting you carry around explosives." the sock hat stated.

"Choo choo, coming through!" shouted an incoming voice.

The two looked strait ahead to spot Ed, running west with the increasingly smaller mail bag. As he ran frantically, he seemed to have taken no notice of his two friends. Instead, he turned at the plaza, moving north towards the clock tower.

"They're on my tail!" Ed shouted. In his haste, his green jacket slowly slipped from his torso, until it slid off entirely, just near the entrance of the clock tower.

"Hey Ed!" Eddy called out. "You dropped your-"

A moment later, the mob had caught up, rushing into the district.

"Get him!"

"Catch him before he gets away!"

The two stunned Eds watched as the group chased after him. After the crowd had cleared, they walked towards the jacket which Ed has left behind.

"...um... should we be worried about him?" Double D asked.

"He's Ed, he'll be fine!" Eddy shouted, picking up his jacket.

Double D winced. "Ew, you're actually going to touch that? Do you know where it's been?"

Eddy ignored him. "Maybe we can sell his jacket for cash!"

Double D frowned. "Don't be silly, nobody would buy this."

Eddy reached into the pockets. "There's got to be something he has we can use."

"Please Eddy, don't do that!" Double D shouted, crouched over in disgust at this act.

A moment later, Eddy retrived the small, shiny silver jewel, holding it in front of himself.

"What's this thing?" he asked.

Double D's eyes widened. "Why, that's a silver rupee! Those are worth a lot of money!"

Eddy's expression beamed. "No foolin'?! Enough for the bomb bag?!"

Double D nodded. "That and then some, but that's Ed's, so we probably shouldn't-"

Eddy had rushed ahead and away, back towards West Clock Town, laughing insanely with the rupee in hand.

Double D was left alone, shocked. He sighed and shrugged, then looked towards the direction of the town's laundry pool.

* * *

Friday, Day 1: 3:21 PM (62 hours, 39 minutes remain)

The sock-hat arrived at the entrance of the laundry pool. He was familiar with this section of town, and it was a calming place in it's usual quiet feel. He proceeded towards the water side, nearby a bell on a post. He knelt down for a moment, then looks into the pool of water, to look at his own reflection.

"Hm..." he thought aloud. "This does seem a little shady alright. But if this doesn't work, I suppose I could just share the bombs with Eddy."

He looked towards the bell on the sign, which hung there calmly, a small replica of the bell unseen within the clock tower.

After a moment of pondering, he grabbed the rope under the bell and gave it a tug, causing it to ring loudly, echoing in the area around himself.

In the far end of the laundry pool area, a door opened up. Behind it was a familiar looking person, a child with purple hair, his face concealed behind a yellow fox mask. He paused for a moment after exiting, then looked over at Double D.

"You again..." Double D began.

The boy did not seem interested, and began to turn away.

"Hold on!" Double D exclaimed, his voice echoing in this quiet region of the town. "I'm just here for business, that's all."

The boy stopped, facing away from the sock hat.

"...if you want to conduct business, the curiosity shop's front entrance is in west clock town. And it's not open until 10 PM."

Double D took a step forward. "Yes, but I must be traveling quickly. I was just wondering if you have something."

"Something?"

"The swordsman..." began Double D. "He ordered a rare object, and I'm here to pick it up."

The child said nothing at first. He then turned to look towards Double D. He then gestured towards the bell sign. "...wait here."

With that, he proceeded towards the door and walked inside. Double D stood alone, outside, for what seemed like a few minutes.

_"I'm not sure about this..." _he thought. _"The curiosity shop is pretty shady. According to rumor I've heard across town, this place often sells stolen goods. They'd polish or refine these goods to make them look different, then release them under the guise of being a shop of curios. In short, it's a black market..."_

The door reopened again. The boy stood there, holding a lantern. It was a strange item, designed in a gothic style with arched mini-windows. The metal was black in color, and made of a strange material Double D had never seen before. He knelt down to examine the bizarre item. He then looked back up at the child.

"A lantern...?"

The child nodded. "There's no mistake, this is the swordsman's order."

"How is this meant to be a weapon?" Double D asked, accepting the lantern and holding it.

"A weapon?" asked the kid, perplexed. "This is an artifact from Ikana Canyon. These are ancient lamps used by people from a society long past away. Legend has it they are used by specters that roam that forgotten land, called Poes. Some legends even claim they house souls of those whom they belonged to. I can't say why the Swordsman wanted it, but evidently he saw it as valuable."

Double D held the lantern for a moment. "The swordsman said he would allow me to use it for a weapon. But... it's so fragile. How can it be used as one?"

The boy shrugged. "I'm afraid I don't know."

* * *

Friday, Day 1: 3:45 PM (62 hours, 15 minutes remain)

Ed rushed into the post office. The postman, who had been taking a nap in his bed at the time, jumped out from under the covers. There Ed stood at the far end of the room, completely out of breath, panting heavily. He threw the now empty mail bag into the room before collapsing onto the ground.

"Whoa pal!" the postman shouted, walking towards Ed. "Are you alright?"

Ed was too out of breath to reply. He pointed to the empty mail sac instead, his arm lazily flopping onto the floor.

"Well..." the postman began. "...at least it seems like you were able to deliver all the mail."

Ed once again could not respond with the truth, trying too hard to re-obtain his breath.

The postman signed and placed his hand on his head. "Alright, alright. I guess a deal's a deal. I'll see what I have in storage for you to use along your way."

* * *

Friday, Day 1: 3:47 PM (62 hours, 13 minutes remain)

Eddy arrived at the Bomb shop. He raced towards the counter, manically slamming the silver rupee onto top.

"Ok pal, I got your rupees right here!" Eddy proclaimed. "Now gimme gimme gimme!"

The old man glanced at the rupee, then gasped.

"Ah wow, that's worth a hundred rupees!" he accepted the rupee, then placed the bomb bag onto the table, prepared and stocked with 20 fresh bombs within. "Here you are, one standard bag."

Eddy picked up the bag and hauled it over his back.

"Whew, didn't expect these to be so light!" he claimed. "What do you know?"

The old man looked a little concerned about this. "Just be careful with these, ok? They're very dangerous and-"

"Yeah yeah, I can handle it." Eddy said. He turned around and began to walk away from the room. "Later!"

Eddy proceeded out of the room. As he did, unknown to him, one of the bombs which he was carrying dropped from the top of the bag and fell back down to the floor. It rolled across the room and towards the larger explosive kegs in the room, whacking a shelf. A spark cast forth from the impact, igniting the bomb. It began to fizzle and come to life.

The old man gasped, leaping over his counter. "Oh NO!!"

* * *

Friday, Day 1: 4:00 PM (62 hours remain)

Around the first indications of the sunset, Link had gone to the Milk Bar. He waited inside, sitting at the counter. Tatl was nearby, resting atop his green hat, half asleep.

"You'll need to clear out soon." the bartender reminded him whilst mopping the floors. "At 6 I'll need to close temporarily so I can set up for the midnight clientele."

"Don't worry, we'll be gone soon." Tatl stated, half asleep.

The door to the Milk Bar opened. It was at the top of a flight of stairs, thus Link had to turn to see who it was. Eddy had arrived, walking downstairs with the bomb bag in tow. He arrived at the counter and sat atop one of the stools.

"I got what I needed!" he shouted proudly, revealing the bag.

"Hey, hey!" began the bartender, noticing the bag. "We don't allow those in here. You're going to have to leave those somewhere else, but I can't have them in the bar."

"Aw, calm down pal, we're just gonna be a minute!" Eddy shouted, irately. "Sheeeeesh!"

"But sir, I-"

At that moment, Double D proceeded downstairs as well. He was surrounded, oddly enough, with a strange light with a slightly purple tint. He held the lantern he received as he moved downstairs, then set it on the counter before sitting down himself.

"What's that supposed to be?" asked Eddy.

"It's a Poe's Lantern." Tatl stated, amazed. "Whoa, where did you find that? It's very rare!"

"I got it from the Swordsman and the purple-haired child from the Curiosity Shop."

"Purple haired child..." Eddy began. "Where have I seen someone like that before...?"

"Well, no matter." Link said. "All we need now is Ed, then we can go."

The group members glanced at one another, somewhat worried.

* * *

Friday, Day 1: 4:15 PM (61 hours, 45 minutes remain)

"Uh..." Link droned, looking around.

Double D was currently writing in his Bomber's Notebook, filling out the details of his travels thusfar.

_ "And so," _he wrote, _ "I traveled to the Milk Bar, and met the others. Here, I began to wait..."_

Tatl was buzzing about the room, pacing in the air impatiently.

"Gimme another drink!" Eddy shouted to the bartender.

* * *

Friday, Day 1: 4:30 PM (61 hours, 30 minutes remain)

"Hm....."

_"And wait for... what I document to be a half hour so far."_

Tatl continued to buzz around the room.

"Guh.... another... drink..."

* * *

Friday, Day 1: 4:45 PM (61 hours, 15 minutes remain)

"Hmmmmmmmm..."

_"Fourty five minutes now. My hand is going numb."_

"Buuuuuzzzzzzzz...."

"...another... one... on... the rocks..."

"Sir, you're out of rupees. And please stop acting drunk, it's just milk."

* * *

Friday, Day 1: 5:12 PM (60 hours, 48 minutes remain)

"........"

_"I will cease writing, for I fear this pencil has run out of graphite."_

Tatl was now fast asleep on Link's hat.

"Guuuuuuuuhhghhh...."

"Ok sir..." the Bartender began. "You have stayed long enough. Please take that bomb bag out of here now or I will have to kick you out."

The door to the Bar burst open abruptly. Ed came flying into the room. He now had on his back, what appeared to be an arrow quiver. He lept forth energetically, sitting on one of the stools with a dramatic thud. Eddy, Double D, Link, and Tatl all sprung back into being alert from a state of semi-consciousness.

"Hey guys!" Ed shouted.

"Where in sam hill have you been?" Double D asked.

"Yeah, it's almost dark!" Tatl barked. "We need to get out of here and to the swamp before nightfall and all of those nocturnal monsters come out!"

"Nocturnal what now?" Ed asked.

"...nice hat." Link commented, noting that Ed was still wearing the Postman's uniform hat.

Eddy tilted his head and looked over at Ed's quiver. "What do you have there lumpy?"

Ed looked behind himself. "Oh yeah! Check it out guys!"

He reached behind himself, then drew two items from the quiver. From within, he retrieved two ordinary looking sticks and held them out dramatically, as though they were swords.

Everyone present looked at Ed.

"You..." Double D began.

"...wasted..." Eddy continued.

"...All of our time..." Tatl chimed in.

"For sticks?" Link finished.

Ed nodded. "Uh huh!"

"Deku Sticks to be precise." Double D noted.

Link sighed. "...I guess it's something."

Double D closed the notebook and placed it back into his inventory. Link and Tatl jumped up from their seats and Eddy also got up groggily, picking up the bomb bag.

"Let's get going." Eddy said. He shoved the many cups of milk he had emptied to the side of the counter.

_"Finally!" _proclaimed one exhausted bartender.

* * *

As the group exited the bar, they came to the sight of a group of citizens and gaurdsmen, all crowded around the door.

"That's him!" a carpenter shouted, pointing at Ed. "He was the one who was trespassing on the rooftops!"

The group, surprised, turned to look at Ed.

Further cries came from the crowd of people.

"That tall one stole my treasured rupee! And my toast!"

"The short one blew up my store! My entire place, gone!"

"Yeah, and it tore open a hole in the trading post!"

"My Toast, mind you!!"

"They took my mail bag and my hat and scattered important letters all over town!"

"They also left the hole right in the middle of the construction site!"

"MY TOAST!"

Double D frantically turned to Eddy and Ed. "Guys, what did you do?!"

"I didn't do nothin'!" Eddy shouted in protest.

"We already took you to the mayor, and this is what happens?" one of the guardsmen asked. "This time we won't be so generous. This time you guys are going to jail!"

"......"

"Run away!" shouted Ed, before bolting towards the town exit.

"Waaaaaaaaaah!!" Eddy shouted, rushing behind his friend.

"Wait for me!" Tatl exclaimed, she and Link rushing away.

Double D paused in fear for a moment, glancing at the mob, then at the east exit of town.

"...well, I'd love to stay, but... I'm sorry!"

The sock hat made a run for the exit as well.

"Hurry!" the postman shouted. "After them!"

"Wait, look!" the bomb shop owner shouted.

The townspeople looked down to notice that Eddy had, once again, dropped a single bomb unintentionally. It had lit up on impact and was burning away it's fuse.

_"RUN!"_ shouted the trading post shopkeeper.

The crowd dispersed, screaming as the explosive went off in a fiery burst, blowing apart the tiled ground and sending smoke and shrapnel in all visible directions. A few moments had to wait for the debris to clear, leaving those closest to the blast coated with soot. They looked at one another, then at the exit.

"...they got away..."

"Curse those boys!" shouted the bomb shop owner, shaking off the soot.

"Don't worry." the bartender said, coming out of the Milk Bar, holding his mop like a pitchfork. "I overheard that those guys were going to Termina Field. They'll be driven back into town when the monsters prove too tough. When they do, we ambush them."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **_Well then, that concludes this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it, and look forward to more!  
_


	11. Chapter 11: Head South, Young Link

**Author's Notes: **_Surprise, this update is a two-parter! I hope you enjoy this one. It's again not extremely much, but it has a bit more action and story progression if I do say so myself. Please enjoy!_

**_

* * *

_**

Chapter 11: Head South, Young Link

Friday, Day 1: 5:15 PM (60 hours, 45 minutes remain)

The group emerged from the east exit, surprised and tired, catching their breath.

"Sheesh!" Eddy shouted. "What sore-sports!"

"I'm worried, I thought I heard the sound of an explosion just now." Double D said, looking through the town gate. However, the tunnel that would lead inward was opposite from the setting sun, so a shadow cast by the roof prevented him from looking back in to see.

"It was probably just birds." Eddy noted.

"Well... if you say so." Double D sighed.

He looked ahead. The area around them was huge and vast, much bigger then the entirety of Clock Town combined. He saw plains that outstretched to the deepest horizons. Before him, he noticed that the farther away from the city, the less grass there was and more gravel and rock there would be. The path from this exit would lead directly forwards. A series of pillars made of stone, with odd designs with an age possibly older then ancient Greece lined the pathway in almost perfect symmetry. Eventually, maybe a few hundred meters into the distance, a canyon wall stood. The path cut through a break in the wall, which wound to the right where it would disappear behind rock. In the furthest distances observable, a large stone structure stood, taller then any skyscraper he had ever seen before. It looked like a giant stone cactus which pierced high into the sky.

"...wow." Double D said. His eyes lit up with enthusiasm. "My word, what an intriguing looking tower! Did the ancient citizens of this land build that? Oooh, I wish I could see that place for myself."

"That's the Stone Tower Temple." Tatl stated. "It's deep in the heart of Ikana Canyon. We won't be going there yet."

Double D nodded. "Right, right, the south is where we're off to."

The group turned towards their right, and saw a path made of black stone, like a pavement road, which ran about the parameter of the town. As they turned, they noticed more grass growing here, then growing in larger patches in the distance the further south they looked.

"That must be it." Link said. "Doesn't look too far from here!"

The group proceeded down the path, on their way south from the east exit. The further they walked, the more they noticed the rather distinct scent of mud and dirt, the scent of a swamp. Now unveiled from behind the town walls, more came into sight: tall trees which grew around the southern end of the town's outer parameter. The sun, setting over the western horizon which was yet unseeable, cast tall shadows of everything, even the blades of grass as it vanished behind the earth, providing everything with a slightly orange tint as day reach it's death. By now, unlike within the interior of the town, it was much more quiet here, given that these were large plains with large amounts of spaces which nobody occupied. Only caws from crows going about their business and the chirps of birds going about their last harvests of the evening could be heard.

"...this is unreal..." Eddy said, in awe.

"What exactly is?" Ed asked.

Eddy motioned behind him. "There's a big rock canyon behind us! In front of us there's a swamp! And... is that an ocean...? What the..."

"Didn't I already tell you about this?" Tatl asked, somewhat annoyed.

"Well yeah, but it's really weird to see such different places so close together!"

Double D rubbed his head and looked around. "He has a point..."

Ed and Link looked around.

"...well this doesn't seem so bad." Link said. "There don't seem to be any monsters around here."

"Well so far I think we're just lucky." Tatl said. "Trust me guys, keep your wits about yourselves."

As the group proceeded further south, they saw more: a large log, as big as a bus which was on it's side. The interior was hollowed out, and looked somewhat akin in shape to a conestoga wagon. Further ahead, behind some taller trees which possessed no leaves, was a sudden wall of plant-life, with only a single path which lead directly ahead. And, like in the case of the Stone Tower, in the far distance lay a tall mountain with a purple surface, and a large orbiting ring of cloud which circled around the mountain.

"That's Woodfall Mountain." stated Tatl. "I've never been there before, but it has a lot of mystery to it. It's right in the middle of the southern swamp, so if we just walk towards it we should be able to find what we're looking for!"

"Perfect!" Eddy shouted. "Let's get movin, huh?"

As he took a step forward, he had paused.

"Huh?" Ed asked. "What's the matter?"

Eddy rose his finger. "Shh, guys."

He paused, then turned back towards his friends.

"...I think I heard something."

Everyone stood still and looked around.

_Glooop._

The group collectively turned and looked in the direction of the sound. There was a series of small grass shrubs collectively growing in front of them. It seemed normal however, dispute the sound.

"...well that's odd." Double D noted.

_Glooooooop._

This time, this was accompanied by a shuffle from the shrubbery. Link drew his weapon from his sheath. Double D and Eddy instinctively took a step back, Eddy scrabbling to retrieve a bomb from his bag. Ed, surprisingly, took a step forward and withdrew two sticks, pointing them dramatically at the shrubbery.

"Reveal yourself, foul beast!" he cried.

"Ed, keep it down you idiot!" Eddy exclaimed, in a voice much louder then his friend's.

With a sudden lurch, the bushes moved apart. A large creature emerged from behind them. It appeared to be a monster made entirely of sludge a goo, green in color. It's form was amorphous evidently. The only recognizable features seemed to be two eyes on eyestalks on the top of the creature, like snail eyes, and a mouth which was barely defined due to it's constant shifting in shape.

"Gah, geez, what is THAT?" Eddy asked, nearly dropping the bomb.

Tatl however, seemed undeterred. "That's a Green Chuchu. It's nothing to be afraid of..."

She even flew towards the mouth of the creature. "These creatures usually have something in its stomach that's of use."

Still, disturbed by the creature, the group took a step back at the same time as it approached them. It started bouncing towards them, mouth opened in a threatening way.

"It's attacking!" Ed shouted, pointing a deku stick at it.

Eddy held his arm back, bomb at the ready, in a backswing to throw it.

"Wait, don't waste your ammo." Link said, holding his sword out.

A moment later, the boy in the green hat rushed ahead, sword drawn. He jumped dramatically into the air, shouting a battle call. A moment later, he fell back down, sword outstretched in front of him, slicing a perfect vertical slice against the beast. The creature sloshed into pieces in this impact. It's whole entire body instantly melted into a water-like substance, which slashed all over the ground in front of them.

Double D and Eddy stared, eyes widened.

"...geez..." they both said, surprised at the sight.

Link turned back and sheathed his sword again. He eyed the other members of his party and looked right at them.

"...well? No need to be so surprised. Battles are... rather gruesome."

Double D and Eddy looked at one another, worried.

"What have you gotten us into, sock hat?" Eddy asked.

"Me?" Double D asked, surprised at the question.

Link reached down into the puddle of green water which lay on the ground. Where the Chuchu once was, now stood a small jar of green potion. Link picked it up and examined it.

"What's that?" Double D asked.

"These are Magic Jars." Tatl explained. "They're containers left about the world, where one can replenish a bit of their magical abilities if they drink it. Link and Double D should be able to use it however they want, because the great fairy in clock town granted them magic abilities when they were both deku."

"What?!" Eddy asked at this revelation. "You're magical now? Aw, c'mon, why didn't you say something?!"

"I-I forgot!" Double D shouted.

"But, when they are not hidden in darkness, like within the beast of that monster or within things like tall grass and shrubs, they must be drunken immediately." Tatl stated. "Unlike a masterfully cooked potion, these jars do not last too long when exposed to light of any kind, including moonlight."

Link picked up the jar and took a hearty swig of the green jar, then took a breath.

"Ick..." he noted. "I never did like these too much. They're so bitter."

As soon as he finished drinking, to everyone's surprise, the empty jar broke apart in his hand, turning to green dust and vanishing into the air on a breath of wind.

"...wow a bizarre world this is." Double D noted.

As the group observed, Ed looked down at the ground. "Um... Eddy..."

Eddy grunted.

"Eddy?"

"What?"

Ed pointed down to the ground with one of his deku sticks.

The two looked down at the ground. The green puddle at their feet began shifting. Double D and Link had also taken notice, all glancing down to see. The liquid started gurgling and moving about on the grass. A moment later, two eyeballs reformed from within the goo, and stared back at them lazily, as if they were slowly awakening from a nap.

"Aaaaah!!" all four of the boys shouted. They all run forth in surprise, reaching the hollow log further along the path. By the time they had managed to reach it, the monster had returned to life, and was now sitting in it's shrub home again. It was staring at them from a distance, half dazed, and proceeded to yawn at them.

"W-what happened?!" Link asked. "I thought I had slain it!"

Tatl flew down a bit. "Er... I forgot to mention... these creatures can't die. They reform from their own slime."

"Wah, we're gonna get it now!" Eddy shouted in horror.

"We best run before it catches up!" Double D shouted.

"GRAVY!" proclaimed Ed.

…......

"...um, guys, why isn't it following us?" Eddy asked.

Double D blinked, then took a step forward. "Um... I think it doesn't see us."

"Or, it doesn't care." Link said. "We can't beat it because it reforms, but it can't defeat us because it's not strong."

"I see... and since we are not trespassing anymore, it won't follow us here." Double D said.

Eddy paused for a moment, then gave a delightful laugh. "Haha, well look at you over there! You can't catch us now, can you?!"

_Glooop._

Eddy screamed in a voice quite high pitched, then ran away. "Gah, every man for himself!!"

The rest of the group paused for a moment, somewhat surprised at Eddy's antics. A moment later, they followed behind, not saying a word.

* * *

Friday, Day 1: 5:23 PM (60 hours, 37 minutes remain)

Eddy had stopped running after a short while. Once he was sure there were no beasts nearby, he sighed a sigh of relief and leaned back upon a large tree he had come across. By the time he has managed to regain his breath, the rest of the group had managed to catch up with him.

"...whew!" Eddy shouted, suddenly feigning courage. "I was wondering when you guys would catch up!"

"Yes, very funny." Double D replied, unamused.

"May we resume?" Tatl asked, looking at Eddy.

The boy nodded. "Sure thing! Let's head out fast. If we're lucky we can reach the swamp before nightfall!"

Eddy got off the tree he was leaning on and proceeded. It wasn't even two steps before Tatl flew up into the air excitedly.

"Oh! I remember this!" she shouted suddenly.

The team of boys turned and looked back at her.

"Remember what?" Ed asked. "Because I don't remember nothing."

Tatl motioned for a rather crudely designed drawing on the tree which Eddy had been leaning on. It appeared to be a bizarre creature: a scarecrow of sorts with a large hat. The scarecrow's face appeared strange, with eyes made of perfect circles and, interestingly enough, a beak for a mouth. Above the drawing of the scarecrow were two small streaks, resembling flying fairies. The group looked in closer to observe it.

"What on earth..." Double D asked. "Is this the Skull Kid?"

Tatl nodded and flew up to the drawing. "Tael and I drew this with the Skull Kid when we first met him..."

She went quiet for a moment, concentrating on the drawing, before continuing.

"He told us that he had been fighting with his friends and they had left him all alone..."

The group, surprised, looked on.

"He had friends?" Eddy asked.

"...friends..." Ed stated simply.

Double D took a step forward, in front of the whole group, then knelt down next to the drawing, to examine it on eye level. It was crude in design, as though a child had drawn it, unprofessionally and unevenly. He frowned a bit and placed his hand on the wood.

"I see." he said simply.

Tatl also joined him next to the picture. Pretty soon, the other three boys also approached closer, huddled together now.

"I'm sure it was because he was always playing tricks," she stated, "so nobody wanted to play with him. But to do what he did just because of that..."

"What he did?" Double D asked.

"What was that?" Link asked.

Tatl said nothing this time. She seemed to be in though, perhaps in memory of times gone by. She looked down, perhaps as her memories became more somber.

"And once he got his power..." she resumed. However, still immersed in her thoughts, she stopped herself.

The group looked towards her, expecting her to continue. She did not seem to be interested in talking further however.

"Tatl..." Link said in a quiet voice. "...are you ok?"

She seemed to snap out of her trance in this instance. Shaking off her strange attitude, she again said nothing, seemingly unable to talk any more about a subject so troubling to her. Instead, she continued to press onwards, further into the woods towards the swamp.

Ed and Eddy looked at one another briefly before shrugging.

"Dames, who can figure them?" Eddy asked before moving on. Link and Double D, also after a moment of thought, decided to press onwards as well, following behind the rest of the group.

* * *

Friday, Day 1: 5:49 PM (60 hours, 11 minutes remain)

By now, the group had traveled far into the dense forest. Clock Town was now completely gone, vanished entirely behind the trees which has surrounded the area. By now, the sun was almost completely gone. Only the final crimson sunbeams which were lucky enough to penetrate the wall of trees all around them allowed light in this place.

"...this place is kinda creepy actually." Eddy stated, somewhat concerned.

Link, now leading the group, walked onwards confidently.

"Don't worry." he said, sword in hand. As he walked, he held up his sword to point upwards, towards Woodfall Mountain. What at first looked like a distant mountain was coming closer to them, now looming over them gradually with each and every step.

"Whoa." Ed stated, staring strait up. "Haha, cool!"

"Looks like we're close!" Double D said happily. "Thank goodness."

"And not a moment too soon it seems." Link said.

They arrived at a very small clearing within the woods. It was broken only by a single, wooden tree, once more with no leaves, this one appeared entirely black, as thought it had been burnt significantly. The path broke into two directions here. One led to the left, towards a stranger, darker marsh. To see in this direction was almost impossible due to the depth of the woods. The other direction continued directly ahead, in the direction of the mountain.

"The Southern Swamp where Woodfall Mountain is, is this way." Tatl said, motioning towards the path which traveled ahead. "In fact it should be very close now, just beyond this clearing."

"Great!" Eddy shouted.

Link continued down this path, with the others in tow. As they moved, Double D paused, to look down the path they were not taking.

"What's down there?" he asked.

Tatl looked, then floated towards Double D.

"I don't know." She said. "But whatever it is, it's probably got nothing to do with the giant. Besides, we can't see down there."

Double D shrugged. "...very well then. I suppose we can explore it tomorrow in the morning."

He proceeded along with the rest of the group. As they walked right along, they proceeded past the burnt tree. The sock hat once again looked at the tree before proceeding onwards.

"I wonder why so many trees close to the swamp don't have any leaves? And why that one looks like it's burnt."

"Maybe they're dead." Tatl said.

"In a lush land like this? What could have killed them?" Double D asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine." she said.

"Double D, why do you keep asking strange questions?" Eddy asked, turning his head while walking forward.

"Nothing wrong with being inquisitive." replied the sock hat. "It's something you may learn to appreci-LOOK OUT!!"

Eddy stopped and glanced at Double D. "What is it?"

As he turned to look forward towards the path they were walking on, his face was suddenly shrouded in darkness. Eddy gasped and screamed as he felt a sharp, piercing pain.

"Waaah!" he shouted, flailing about. When he faced the group again, struggling about where he stood, it became apparent that a bat-like creature had latched onto his face and was biting him.

"Help!" Eddy cried. "It's trying to get my eyes!"

Ed was the first to rush in protect his buddy. He retrieved a deku stick from his quiver. He dramatically swung it forward, as though he was swinging a baseball bat. It struck Eddy right in the head, with so much force that the deku stick broke in half on the impact. At least the enemy that had grabbed onto Eddy's face flew off into the air before landing into a patch of grass in the distance.

Double D rushed to Eddy's aid immediately. The shortest of the Eds slowly got back up to his feet, rubbing his face which had now become a little bloodied due to the bites.

"Eddy, are you ok?!" Double D asked.

"I-I'm fine!" Eddy asked, somewhat horrified.

"You are safe now, from the evil bats of doom!" Ed shouted in a victory pose.

"Actually, those are called Bad Bats!" Tatl stated.

"Bad Bats?" Double D asked.

Tatl nodded. "If you don't do something before it swoops down on you... well, just don't come running to me!"

Link frowned. "Gee, thanks Tatl."

"Whoooaaa!" Eddy called out again.

The group looked when Eddy shouted, noticing that a whole flock of these bad bats were approaching from a nest within the black tree.

"There's a swarm of them!" Double D exclaimed. "My word!"

"What now?" Ed asked, still holding the broken half of the deku stick he had.

"Let's fight them!" Eddy shouted. He retrieved one of his bombs and held it in the air. "It's payback time!"

Link unsheathed his sword and Double D reached for his Poe's Lantern. The sock-hat, upon doing so, looked at it. Other then providing a mysterious purple glow, it did not seem to be of much further use.

_"...how am I meant to fight with this again?" _Double D asked.

"Here they come!" Tatl shouted.

Link moved first, rushing forward. He performed a horizontal flash towards one of the oncoming Big Bats. To his surprise, the bat suddenly shot upwards, dodging his attack.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed. "These creatures are far more agile then the Keese back in Hyrule!"

Eddy ran towards the swarm of bats that was approaching, then released the Bomb from his hand. It rushed forth, into the group of foes. In impact with one of the flying bats, it detonated, creating a great explosion, sending many of the bats soaring in various directions from the blast, crashing around them.

"Good one!" Ed shouted. "Looks like you-"

Ed was cut short when a bat approached him.

"Oh no you don't, squeaky!" Ed shouted. He threw his broken stick at the big bat. It hit the bat squarely in the face causing it to shout and fall to the ground, motionless.

"These guys are pushovers!" Eddy shouted.

By this point at the same time, Link had managed to down two more bats with his sword. However, two final bats from the nest had managed to pass Link, and now proceeded towards the three eds.

"Heads up Double D!" Eddy shouted.

He turned at just the right moment. Double D spotted the two big bats, and with a swift duck, avoided their swooping attack. Sock hat turned to keep up with the foes, which had also turned about in the air to make another move against him. This time, their turn gave them an extra speed boost in the air, causing them to move faster towards him.

This time, the sock hat held up the lantern. He gripped it's handle hard, then moved forwards and swung it hard in front of him.

As the lantern slashed through the air, it's purple glow increased. This was just as one of the two big bats came into contact with it. A loud _twack! _sounded out as Double D made contact with it.

Inexplicably, the bat managed to catch on fire. It was no ordinary fire however. It matched the lantern's bizarre purple light. The sock-hat couldn't sense any heat coming from this fire though. A moment later, the bat seemed to burn away, vanishing into the air in a loud screech upon doing so.

"W-whoa!" Double D shouted, somewhat horrified upon seeing this happen. His eyes were widened, fixated upon the spot where the big bat had burned away.

"Look out!" Eddy shouted. "C'mon, snap out of it! There's still one left!"

Double D blinked, then turned his head. The last remaining bat approached him from the side, ready to swoop down.

Once again, Double D took a step back and swung the lantern at it again.

_"Oh no!" _he thought. _"I swung too early, I won't make it connect!"_

This time however, his rather hasty and fast swing provided a different result. He had swung the lantern so fast, that the purple light that surrounded it streaked along with it like a beam of light. The beam kept going forward even after Double D swung the item. The purple beam shot forwards at the bat, striking it. The bat was caught aglow with purple flame. It screeched for a moment, then disappeared as it burned out of existence.

Eddy, Ed, Tatl, and Link all stopped where they stood and stared at Double D, surprised.

"I..." Double D droned back for a moment.

"That was..." Link began.

"...COOL!" Ed finished. "Wow Double D, you can shoot beams?!"

"I don't know how." Double D said, looking at the Poe's Lantern.

"I guess you are magic after all!" Eddy shouted. "Wa-hoo, we're unstoppable now aren't we?!"

Double D smiled a bit and nodded. However, he felt a bit uneased by this revelation. He held the lantern in both hands, and wondered.

_"Is it because I was granted magic? Or... was it something else that allowed me to do that?" _he thought. _"At the very least, this means I can definitely help. I wonder though..."_

"Well then, I guess it's settled." Link stated, sheathing his sword once more. "Let's get going now. We're almost there, remember?"

"O-oh right!" Eddy shouted back.

"Okay!" Ed and Tatl chirped back at him.

"Yeah..." Double D stated.

Eddy looked towards Double D. "Something wrong...?"

Double D smiled. "No, it's nothing... and you Mr, we need to clean you up, before you get an infection!" he shouted, gesturing at the fact that Eddy's face was bleeding slightly.

"It's no biggie, really!"

"Just let me treat the wound!"

"Alright, alright!" Eddy shouted. "Geeze, no need to get your sock in a bunch!"

Double D began to move along with the group. As they proceeded down the last stretch of the pathway, and as he began to help Eddy, he thought to himself once more.

_"This Lantern comes from Ikana Canyon, if I remember correctly. Earlier we saw that strange Cactus Tower in that area. Then I found out this item has the ability to cause unhot purple flames and shoot light. I... must undoubtedly research this."_

_

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**Author's Notes: **_Yes, Double D's weapon will actually be useful. A lantern with purple flames. Hm, I wonder if there is a connection with this lamp's abilities and the fire abilities he has in the other stories? I assure you readers who are curious or confused, this story does indeed tie into the same series as the other Edventures, even if I doesn't seem like it should at first._

_Anyway, I do not know when I will be updating this story again, most likely because the Edventure of the Fourth Relic story will be what I focus on next. Sorry for not updating that story either, I came across an unexpected writer's block, so instead of making one chapter for each story I made two chapters for this one. I hope you enjoyed it, and look forward to my future updates!_


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